Dwell Development's green micro-community Columbia Station can add a new award to its mantle. One of their 3-BR, 2.5 bath spec homes became the first in the Pacific Northwest to meet Passivhaus standards, which signifies a building that uses "ultra-low energy."
Back in December, Dwell conducted a blower door test, which resulted in numbers far below regular home in terms of airtightness. In other words, the house requires a lot less energy than a normal one. Some of the features that help include an insulated building envelope, heat recovery ventilation, high-performance windows, and passive heat sources.
· Ultra-Low Passivhaus Energy Standard Met by Dwell Development's Columbia Station Micro-Community [Jetson Green]
· Dwell On The New Columbia City 'Micro-Community' Block42 [Curbed Seattle]