Seattle's First Passive House Earns AIA National Housing Award

Last July, we were introduced to 'Park Passive,' Seattle's first Passive House to be certified by the Passive House Academy and authorized by the Passivhaus Institut. Builder NK Architects were honored today with the AIA National Housing Award for its design. NK Architects partnered with Seattle green builder, Cascade Built, to design and build the home, which was one of ten award recipients.

The 2,710 square-foot home sits on a small urban infill lot in Madison Park measuring just 2,000 square feet. As a certified Passive House, Park Passive residents enjoy significantly decreased energy consumption, improved thermal comfort, and superior indoor air quality. The home maintains an average of 70 degrees internally, even on overcast conditions.

Also on the list of award recipients was the Sol Duc Cabin by Seattle architects Olson Kundig Architects. The compact, low-maintenance, virtually indestructible building measures just 350 sq. ft. and is located on the Olympic Peninsula.

Most of the structure—the steel frame and panels, the roof, shutters, and stairs—was prefabricated off-site, thereby reducing on-site waste and site disruption. Prefabrication kept typical construction wastage to a minimum. The sleeping loft is the result of innovative materials salvaging and construction.

Tom Kundig was lead architect on the Sol Doc project.
· The American Institute of Architects Select Ten Recipients for the 2014 Housing Awards [AIA]
· Meet Seattle's First Standalone Certified Passive House [Curbed Seattle]
· Sol Duc Cabin [AIA]
·