Springwater Residence

This young family set out to build an energy efficient, long-lasting house where their children have room to grow surrounded by the community that helped raise their parents.  The site features an active, existing stone spring house that helped serve as inspiration for the house’s simple, natural material palette and a design approach where it forms the third “wall” around a cozy courtyard garden.  Construction materials, both interior and exterior, were carefully selected to be non-toxic and sustainably sourced.  Along with careful consideration for materials, the owners wanted the house to be built with Passive House principles.  The design maximizes energy efficiency through a super-insulated and thermal-bridge-free building envelope, high-efficiency heat pumps, and energy recovery ventilation – all using products and equipment readily available in the local construction marketplace. Testament to the hard work of and collaboration between the design team and contractors, the house exceeded Passive House (PHIUS) air tightness during the construction blower door test!