The Bright Green project is a super green infill project on South Hill. This project highlights the reality that building high performance homes is both a craft and a science. This building is a system, and it’s beautiful. The integrated design team included Chuckanut Builders, Michael Smith Architecture, Spiral Design Studios, and [bundle] design studio. Construction on the Bright Green project started in early 2016 and finished shortly before the holidays. The home is super insulated. It has 3” of exterior cork insulation that was designed to be thermal bridge free, plus wall, floor and ceiling insulation that is well beyond code requirements.The project has Cascadia fiberglass windows that are high performance and locally made. We also completed aggressive airsealing, installed a rainscreen and a SIGA weather resistive barrier. A heat pump is used for both heat and hot water. The final blower door test was 0.8 ACH (air changes per hour.) For passive house the standard is a maximum of 0.6 air changes per hour, needless to say 0.8 ACH is pretty darn good. The interiors are green, classic, clean and durable and the design integrates aging in place measures. All of the finishes are low VOC; no carpet was used; the quartz countertops are greenguard certified; nearly all of the tile has been certified to ensure green production, recyclability, and toxin free products; and some of the trees that had to be removed from the site were salvaged for lumber. Nearly all of the flooring is domestically harvested cherry, the fireplace is steel clad and was locally fabricated by Architectural Elements, and the cabinets were built locally. Both of the decks were made with concrete pavers and metal railings, which are essentially zero maintenance and very durable. The Bright Green project is beautiful, healthy and durable. And yes, it’s super green too.
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Find online articles on A Fine Finish for Wood Exteriors; Furnace to Heat Pump Retrofit; Windows Before Housewrap?; More Building Science Mistakes to Avoid; EV Chargers and much more.
Featured Video
Builder’s Advocate: An Interview With ViewrailDiscussion Forum
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Video
View All Videos- Podcast 624: Good Builders, Roof Insulation, and Ice Dams
- Podcast 623: Condensation on Windows, HVAC Registers, and Water Heating
- Podcast 622: Wood-Slab Walls, Sealing a Crawlspace, and Pipes that Don’t Drain
- Podcast 621: Building Inside a Barn, Porch-Roof Flashing, and Treated-Lumber Longevity