architecture 4 us

Green Architecture Design of VOLKsHouse in Santa Fe

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 08:22 AM PDT

VOLKsHouse is sustainable building design, designed and developed by Jonah Stanford and architect Vahid Mojarrab. Actually this is a prototype of affordable, net-zero energy family home, located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is claimed to receive first passive house certification on the New Mexico market.

This sustainable building is a response of America’s needs of affordable and eco friendly construction, in order to provide high energy efficiency of a house. This house was designed with passive design applied. It is claimed to use 90% less energy for heating and cooling, and cost $165 per square foot, 6.5% less per square foot than conventional house. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a two-car garage, and a rooftop patio.

To achieve this, some sustainable features were provided for this sustainable construction, such as 2×6 framing, ZIP Panel sheathing, a 10-inch layer of EPS, triple-pane Optiwin doors and windows, low-VOC finishes, an Egauge power monitoring system, ERV, mini-split HVAC system, and LED lighting, etc. Sustainable energy source is also used, from solar photovoltaic system. The energy use is monitored daily.