Passive House SDSU Department of Architecture Mayor s Sustainability Award Sustainability Leadership/ Innovative Best Practices After two years of design and construction, and countless hours of meetings, tests, workshops, public presentations, and time in the classroom, a simple, single family house is (almost) complete. The house, PH01:BRK at 902 3rd Avenue in Brookings, is the first custom certified passive house in the state, and was designed by students and faculty at the SDSU Department of Architecture (DoArch). It is the first of hopefully many student designed projects to come, all of them expected to challenge and exceed typical energy and construction standards. The Passive House project began through grant funding provided by the Governor s Office of Economic Development. The house itself is only the most visible outcome of this far-reaching proposal. A passive house uses a fraction of the energy that a typical one does. It relies on air-tight construction, high levels of insulation, efficient windows and doors, and proper control of heat gain and south-facing glass. These principals are measured and quantified using modeling software that was part of the studio coursework offered beginning in 2016. The instruction and design of PH01:BRK began with six architecture graduate students who were responsible for technical and material specifications, establishing new project partners, working with the neighborhood and city, and the house design itself. The SDSU team has been led by Associate Professor Charles MacBride and Instructor Robert Arlt, who have integrated passive house teaching into many of the department s design and building technology courses. The grant has also provided students and faculty with professional certification training through the US Passive House Institute (PHIUS). Students at DoArch have been involved at all levels. While a graduate level class designed and pre-certified the house, an undergraduate studio was offered a year later, creating construction mock-ups, and fabricating an outdoor canopy, interior stair, and a custom steel and wood railing. The project could not have succeeded without the assistance of many in the community. Financial consultation was made possible by the FB&T Community Development Corporation. The project s general contractor was Dusten Hendrickson of Brookings Built Green, who worked closely with the students during the design process. Other South Dakota partners have also provided support, especially InSoFast of Mitchell, and Best Choice Real Estate in Brookings. MacBride and Arlt, both registered architects in South Dakota, continue to advocate for better building practices. Their research and results with this project have been exhibited and presented widely. Future project goals are to develop better affordability, improved construction efficiency, and pre-fabricated material systems as awareness of passive house grows. A student led design for the next house will commence in the fall semester.
The interest in passive house extends beyond SDSU. Initiatives coming from Governor Dennis Daugaard himself have led to other passive house projects, including a 30-unit multi-family project currently being built in Sioux Falls. The opportunity to teach passive house principles to young architects at SDSU has created a future generation of designers that are trained in the detailing and concepts that support long-life, low energy, and small footprint buildings. And while the design community is aware of the strategies for better building, it doesn t naturally translate into everyday construction practices. Changing our cultural attitude about building, so that home value is based on great performance rather than low first cost may be the industries biggest challenge. Young architects coming from SDSU DoArch are primed to accept this responsibility.
Students present their work on a full-size wall construction mock up during a 3rd year studio review, December 2017.
Installation of exterior insulation, April 2018.