About
SIPs house is an exercise in pushing the limits of sustainable design. Designed by seed architecture studio; the house began its life as a simple conceptual form – one cantilevered rectangular volume rotated 90 degrees over a lower rectangular volume. The house was then filtered through a series of energy models. Every decision made is an intentional response to view, natural light, passive cooling, and overall decreased use of resources.
In a partnership agreement with the City of Portland, SIPS house will be Portland’s first approved single family residence built from SIPS, opening the flood gates for future unconventionally framed structures. SIPs or Structural Insulated Panels are made from rigid insulation sandwiched between structural skins of OSB. The panels are strong, energy efficient and cost effective.
The Portland SIPs House is a 2089 square-foot, modern style, all-electric home on a 5500 sf lot in NE Portland near 45th and Ainsworth. Green elements include:
Green Design
· All plumbing fixtures are placed in one small section of the house (approx. 12’ x 20’) to limit piping requirements and water use when waiting for hot water.
· Framing fraction (i.e. % of lumber in wall) <5% relative to typical construction of 23%. Custom-designed window framing material helps to achieve this.
Site Resource Conservation
· All materials are being sorted into recyclable/non-recyclable and tracked and recorded when they are sent off-site. All recyclable materials are being recycled. Portland has an excellent infrastructure for this.
· SIPs are manufactured at a factory which minimizes waste during production relative to typical on-site stick framing. It also leads to very little waste on site because panels are pre-cut to size.
Building Envelope
· SIPs used for floors, walls and ceilings. Walls and floors are 8”=R30. Ceiling is 12”=R45. Windows u-value = .31.
· Envelope expected to be extremely tight because of the combination of SIPs and attention to detail sealing all penetrations during construction.
Construction Materials
· Salvaged barn wood for siding
· 30% fly ash in foundation.
· Working on acquiring salvaged lumber for internal framing.
Heating And Cooling
· Mini-split ductless heat pump eliminates ductwork that wastes up to 30% of heat energy in a typical home.
· Detailed room-by-room heat loss calculations were performed to properly size the heat pump.
· Heat Recovery Ventilator recovers 80% of the heat from inside air before it is exhausted to the outside.
Water Heating
· Solar thermal hot water system will supply approximately 50% of hot water need. Balance is supplied by a high-efficiency electric heater.
Water Conservation
· All water appliances are extremely low-flow (EPA WaterSense)
· Toilets are dual flush.
Sustainable Products
· Countertops are made of Fuez which is made of recycled glass and fly ash.
· Low/zero VOC paints.
Energy Efficiency
· All appliances are Energy Star or better
· All lighting is fluorescent or LED
· A counter-top energy meter will be installed to give constant, real-time information about energy use to the homeowner.
Indoor Air & Water Quality
· The heat recovery ventilator has a built-in whole-house filtration system.
· Air flow for both the heating and the ventilation systems will be tested
· Radon membrane and exhaust pipe installed.
· The house is all-electric – no combustion products in home or garage. (No garage!)
Landscape Conservation
· A complete landscape plan has been developed which contains only native and drought-tolerant plants..
