Surrey Passive House Wins New City Design and Clean Energy Awards
Surrey, BC, (PRWEB) December 04, 2014 -- Greater Vancouver's first building to meet the International Passive House Standard was the double award winner at Surrey’s New City Design Award night earning the Clean Energy Award and the Award of Merit for architectural excellence.
The two family residence designed by Marken Design + Consulting uses up to 90 per cent less energy for heating and cooling and up 65% on operational costs than a standard house. Solar hot water, rainwater harvesting for toilet flushing, high efficiency heat recovery ventilation and non-VOC materials are a few of the extensive sustainable building features incorporated into the prefabricated design.
“Over the last year this 3,800 square feet two family home’s Hydro bill was $60.- per month,” said Alexander Maurer, principal at Marken Design + Consulting and a leading expert in Passive House Design and Planning. “The two families also did not have to turn on the heat at all since living in the house resulting in a zero heating bill and maximum comfort in winter and in summer.”
The Passive House Building Energy standard originated in Germany in the late 1980s and is fast becoming the world standard in green, sustainable building techniques. It is estimated there are over 50,000 passive house buildings around the world. Currently, there are only about two dozen buildings in Canada achieving this level of energy efficiency. The structure was assembled in 5 days using a prefabricated panelized system.
“We have chosen to build this Passive House as a legacy for our children and grandchildren (who live in the house with us),” says owner Teresa Hotell. “We believe Passive House Buildings are the future of sustainable and responsible building and want to encourage and provide an example to others. We are delighted with our home and hope that the challenges we have faced will make it easier for others to take the steps towards making this type of building the norm.”
For more information on the New City Design Awards and this project, please contact info(at)markenprojects(dot)com or visit http://www.markenprojects.com
Marken Design + Consulting – Founded by Alexander Maurer, Marken Design + Consulting is a multidisciplinary, award-winning building design and project consulting firm dedicated to high performance building design & construction. Marken Design + Consulting actively promotes forward-thinking, holistic and environmentally responsible practices and is a member of the International Passive House Association and Canadian Green Building Council.
Alexander Maurer, [email protected], +1 (778) 999-0966, [email protected]
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