Park Passive Seattle, WA 2,710 square feet

Park Passive Seattle, WA 2,710 square feet Park Passive is Seattle’s first certified Passive House and one of the most energy efficient homes in the Pacific Northwest. The design team was inspired to push the limitations of Passive House with this airtight, super-insulated home for a family of four, and challenged perceptions of how an ultra energy-efficient home should look and feel. The project is located on a 2,000 sq foot lot where a dilapidated cottage once stood. The zoning envelope dictated a small, shallow floor plate that could be expanded by co-opting the form of the existing cottage.The team responded to these constraints by emphasizing the connections between spaces both vertically and horizontally. A day-lit open stair is designed with punctuated views to the street and a nook for a window bench. The kitchen is situated within a double-height vault, a remnant of the cottage’s volume, to visually connect the main living space to the upstairs children’s play area. Since the site yielded no backyard, the front yard is connected to the living area with a 13’-0” lift-slide window that invites activity to spill outdoors. To meet the rigorous standards of Passive House, the design required 17” thick walls and strategic placement of high-performance windows. Limited solar exposure and a north facing site were viewed not as constraints but as an opportunity for expression. Large upper floor windows and skylights maximize solar gain and daylight while also providing stack ventilation. Windows were specifically placed for children to enjoy while at play on the floor or pausing on the stair for a view outdoors. The design team committed to an unapologetically modern façade, employing the stair as an important internal and external organizing feature. The positioning of the windows within the walls expresses the wall thickness while playing with depth. The 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath home is designed to use 75% less energy than a typical new home while maintaining an average indoor air temperature of 70-degrees. By utilizing time-proven building practices and technology, such as a heat recovery ventilator, Park Passive provides filtered, preheated fresh air for healthier, quieter, and more comfortable living. Interior finishes reinforce the project’s sustainability goals including wall paneling, stair treads, and live-edge countertops all harvested from site trees. Park Passive proves that energy efficiency, livability and luxury can co-exist: buildings like this are the future.

NEW ZONING ENVELOPE

EXISTING COTTAGE ENVELOPE

SITE CONTEXT

INSULATE THERMAL BRIDGES MINIMIZE NORTH GLAZING

ROOFTOP VIEWS OF LAKE WASHINGTON

STAIR AS MAIN ORGANIZING ELEMENT

SIMPLIFIED BUILDING GEOMETRY TO MINIMIZE THERMAL BRIDGES

AIR SEALING AT WINDOWS

COMMON EXTERIOR MATERIALS

CONNECT INDOOR/OUTDOOR LIVING SPACES

EXPRESS WALL THICKNESS AT STAIR WINDOWS

CONCEPT DIAGRAM

NEIGHBORHOOD VIEWS FROM STAIR

OUTDOOR LIVING

KAYAK STORAGE

CARPORT

OUTDOOR DINING

SITE PLAN

PL

PL

STACK VENTILATION

R-49.2 WALLS

R-89.3 ROOF

PASSIVE SOLAR

DAYLIGHTING

HEAT RECOVERY VENTILATOR CONTINUOUS AIR BARRIER

HRV EXISTING BUILDING OUTLINE

SECTION

DINING STORAGE

FIREPLACE

ENTRY

CARPORT

ENTRY CLOSET

UP

LIVING

UP

HRV

POWDER ROOM MUD ROOM

UTILITY ROOM HOT WATER

LEVEL 1

KITCHEN

BENCH

BEDROOM BATHROOM

BEDROOM

LAUNDRY DN

UP

PLAY AREA

LEVEL 2

OPEN TO BELOW

BEDROOM

MASTER BATH

DECK

MASTER CLOSET

FAMILY ROOM/OFFICE

DN

MASTER BEDROOM UP

ROOF BELOW

LEVEL 3