Page 45 - Green Builder Nov-Dec 2020 Issue

‘Vision’ quest. A lot has to go into transforming
Seattle Cascades from concept home to completed
dream. Among the priorities? Making sure the house
can stand up to the elements. CREDIT: EQUITERRA

BY CATI O’KEEFE “The big features of this demonstration complicated when you leverage the right
HE VISION HOUSE Seattle house address changing climate conditions building science and products to achieve
Cascades is well under way. and address the fact that the house sits in high performance in all areas of the build.
The insulated concrete form the middle of thousands of acres in a forest Let’s break down the most important
(ICF) walls were built as fall outside Seattle,” says Herro. “In the Paci“c pieces that make this house impervious to
descended on the home’s Northwest, you’re looking at seismic-resistant a host of negative conditions:
T pristine mountaintop site. design in the mountains with high winds.
This o‰-grid, net-positive, healthy home Plus, we considered water intrusion and BUILDING A DISASTER-PROOF
optimizes energy management and incor- resistance, “re preparedness, and protection FOUNDATION
porates the most-advanced green building against ground instability and mudslides.” This project sits on a hilltop that slopes
products, systems and technologies avail- That might seem like a tall order to steeply on all sides. For this reason, Herro
able on the market today. address, but as Herro explains it, it’s not and the team had to pay special attention to

www.greenbuildermedia.com November/December 2020 GREEN BUILDER 43

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