Net Zero Houses

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Net Zero Houses

  • location:
  • Date:
    Prototype Study
  • client:
    Private Client
  • collaborators:
  • project_team:
    Partner-In-Charge: Elizabeth Whittaker
    Project Manager: Allison Austin
    Design Team: Allison Austin, Deb Katz, Jamie Pelletier, Duncan Scovil, Amit Oza
  • description:
    Small parks, community gardens, and public green spaces dot the neighborhood surrounding Net Zero Houses, a projected 16-unit townhouse project. This project engages actively with these green spaces: each townhouse features micro farms on outdoor roof decks, street-level patios, and built-in planters throughout. Double-thick walls, shaded southern exposures, passive ventilation, and solar PV panels combine to make this project net-zero energy -- the townhouses give back to the grid as much energy as they consume.

    Each townhouse contains two units -- an in-law studio below and a 3-bedroom unit above. A stepped section in each unit offsets the constraint of a narrow (14’) required footprint. The resulting 18’ high ceilings in the living areas give each unit an expansive feel.