First Passive House Wins National AIA Housing Award

We’re proud to announce that our Park Passive project, and Seattle’s first Passive House, has received the esteemed AIA National Housing Award.  The award, now in its 14th year, was established to recognize the best in housing design and promote the importance of good housing as a necessity of life, a sanctuary for the human spirit and a valuable national resource.

Park Passive was one of five homes selected for the award in the one/two family custom housing category and the only Passive House project to win. Designed by NK Architects, Park Passive demonstrates that luxury and sustainability can co-exist. As a certified Passive House the home uses 90% less energy for heating and cooling than standard built homes, resulting in significantly decreased energy consumption, improved thermal comfort, and superior indoor air quality.

National AIA Housing Award
Photo Courtesy of NK Architects

The AIA’s recognition of the home showcases its “passive survivability” for its ability to capture and retain heat – even during a power outage.  High performance windows admit the sun’s heat, which is captured by a carefully crafted building enclosure, and distributed as warm fresh air by a heat recovery ventilation system.  The home maintains a comfortable average of 70 degrees, even on overcast conditions.  NK Architects balanced the vertical design with horizontal special connections into the front and side yards to expand the home’s extremely shallow floor plate. Park Passive was certified by the Passive House Academy and authorized by the Passivhaus Institut. Rob Harrison served as the Passive House consultant.

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Photo courtesy Aaron Leitz Photography

Cascade Built is currently implementing Passive House techniques employed for Park Passive on Seattle’s first Passive House townhouse project, View Haus 5 in the city’s Madison Valley neighborhood.

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