Page 26 - Green Builder March-April 2017 Issue

Bringing outside in. A screened porch, which includes a wood fireplace, enhances this passive house’s indoor-outdoor connection.
send a clear signal that this is a modern, 21st-century home. underneath. A frost skirt also extends outward from the slab.
The home is LEED Platinum and PHIUS+ certified. As such, it uses The benefits of this home’s building shell go beyond energy
90 percent less energy for heating and cooling than a conventional efficiency. Because it controls moisture intrusion so well, the design
home. The envelope is airtight, superinsulated and free of thermal ensures the building’s durability and health.
bridging. Because they were operating within a fairly tight budget, “We know moisture leads to 90 percent or more of building
EHB performed a cost-benefit analysis, modeling various wall failure,” says Weiss. “Designing and building around these potentials
assemblies to determine the most cost-effective envelope for the is possible, and will lead to longer lasting, more durable buildings.”
specific site that would also yield high performance.
The resulting envelope consists of 2-by-8 wood-framed walls LIKE A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
with Knauf Jet Stream insulation in the cavities. Liquid-applied The interior of the two-story home is serene and airy. Salvaged and
Prosoco R-Guard seals all joints of the plywood sheathing and provide reclaimed materials ground the home in its neighborhood. Evolu-
a continuous airtight membrane. Two layers (four inches) of Atlas
Roofing Polyiso rigid foam are installed on the exterior. Delta Vent, a
vapor permeable weather resistant barrier, is installed over the rigid Project Stats
foam, allowing moisture to escape while providing a wind and water
barrier. Durable LP SmartSide lap siding is installed over a rainscreen, NAME: Oak Park Right Sized Home, Oak Park, Ill.
which allows moisture to escape. Zola Thermo uPVC triple-glazed BUILDER: Brandon Weiss, Evolutionary Home Builders,
windows (R-8) complete the envelope. www.evolutionaryhomebuilders.com
ARCHITECT: Tom Bassett-Dilly, Tom Bassett Dilley Architect
(TBDA), www.drawingonplace.com
ENERGY EFFICIENCY THAT’S SET IN STONE
Unlike most homes in the area, which have basements to safeguard LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Matt Fordham, Environments
Studio, www.environmentsstudio.com
against frost heaving, the Oak Park home was constructed on a shal-
low, frost-protected concrete slab. This strategy, popular in northern INTERIOR DESIGNER: Shawna George
Europe, sees the slab wrapped in foam insulation on all sides and PHOTOS: Eric Hausman

24 GREEN BUILDER March/April 2017 www.greenbuildermedia.com

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