Airtight Building Design: How our Passive House Aced the Blower Door Test
Airtight Building Design Keeps Drafts Out
Chilly winter drafts make December the perfect time to talk about airtight building design and energy efficiency. Peckham Architecture’s LEED Platinum home headquarters is sealed and insulated to the point of being airtight. Episode 7 of our Green Building series shows the phenomenal results our passive house achieved in a blower door test. This test detects and measures air leaks as part of an energy audit, which evaluates a building’s energy efficiency. Even with one exterior door standing open, our headquarters is the most airtight building in the city of Columbia!
Here’s how it works:
Elements of Airtight Building Design
As we have shared previously in our Green Building series, we achieved airtightness using structural insulated panels, recycled blown in insulation and liquid house wrap. Together with solar panels, ductless heating and cooling and other sustainable features, these green building materials make our passive house net-positive. This means that our headquarters produces more electricity than it consumes. Energy efficient design matters—green buildings like this one are essential for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and stemming the rise of global temperatures.
Ventilating an Airtight Green Building
Airtight building design poses unique ventilation challenges. The Zehnder HRV system in our passive house was custom designed for the needs of this building. The HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilation) system replaces the stale, humid indoor air with fresh air from outside. Inside the energy recovery core, energy from the “old” air heats the incoming “new” air to nearly the same temperature before distributing it in the home. This creates constant indoor climate stability.
Learn more about our ductless, energy efficient heating and cooling system here.
Buildings as Green as Science Allows
Join Peckham Architecture in our mission to be part of the solution to climate change. If you’re considering a new construction, renovation or historic preservation project, make it as green as possible.
A 1-hour consultation with Peckham Architecture includes project meeting notes, cost estimate and fee proposal for $250.
Contact us today to see what’s possible: 573.777.4444
NEXT: Sustainable flooring options
Green Building Episode 8: Sustainable Hardwood Flooring, Cork Flooring and Porcelain Tile
MORE: Watch our full-length green building documentary
Deep Green: Peckham Architecture’s Green Building Documentary