Bristol Passive House
Phius 2021 Design Single Family Passive House under construction
Resources
Bristol PH brochure
Phius No. 2330, in Design Certification Review
BluPath was engaged by the client, a fine metal fabricator, to design a new passive house certified single-family house on a suburban lot near Philadelphia. A two-story entry stair leads to the second-floor main living area, with a large garage/workshop on the first floor. The thermal envelope walls feature a rainscreen veneer on a Larsen truss with continuous insulation, supported by interior load-bearing wood framing. The metal roof features a ventilated air space over vapor-open continuous and cavity insulation, creating a cathedral ceiling.
Passive building principles and performance guide the project design. The house features all-electric construction, with no combustion appliances, continuous HEPA-filtered fresh air supplied through an HRV system, and foam-free construction utilizing vapor-open wood fiber insulation where possible.
The project is seeking Phius 2021 certification.
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION TEAM
Architect: BluPath Design
Structural Engineering: Mary Hoppe PE, CKS Structural
Passive House Consulting: Paul Thompson CPHC
Energy Modeler: Ilka Cassidy CPHC, Holzraum System, WUFI Passive model
QA/QC Rater: ReVireo
General Contractor: Michael Heinzer, Hivemind Construction
Air Sealing Specialist: Hivemind Construction
Mechanical Designer: Chris Serik, Serik Mechanical
HVAC & Plumbing: TBD
BUILDING INFORMATION
iCFA = 2,172 sf
Volume = 20,207 cf
Maximum Airtightness per IRC 2018 = 5 ACH50 Enclosure
Design airtightness per Phius 2021 = .06 CFM50/sf Enclosure
Slab = R-30.0 6” XPS Underslab
Wood Frame Wall = R-45.6 Exterior 6” Wood Fiber Fill (Larsen Truss) + Wood Fiber Fill, ZIP
Sheathing Air Barrier
Floor = R-50.0 Continuous Wood Fiber Board + Wood Fiber Batt in Cavity, Liquid Air Barrier at Floor Sheathing
Roof = R-67.9 Continuous Wood Fiber Board + Wood Fiber Fill in Cavity, ZIP Sheathing Air
Barrier
Windows & Doors = Wythe Windows w/ Triple Pane Glazing
Ventilation = Minotair PentaCare HRV, Fantech MUAS
Heating & Cooling = Mitsubishi Ducted Minisplit HVAC
Domestic Hot Water = Sanden Eco2 Gen 5 HP HWH
