Passive House - Vancouver Coastal Health
Additional Info
Award Winner : Metric Modular
Architectural Excellence : The project consisted of six, two-storey, attached townhomes to be used as a housing solution for Vancouver Coastal Health. Each module was pre-fabricated at Britco’s Agassiz facility. The modules were approximately 32 feet long and fourteen feet wide. Britco is very proud that the Vancouver Coastal Health Passive House is the first modular built Passive House in North America.
Cost Energy Effectiveness : With special transport permits to the dock, we were able to install the trussed roof in the factory which made the building water tight for shipping by barge, but also much more cost effective to install. The site was in a very remote area on the coast, difficult to get to and difficult to get sub-contractors to work and stay at. Modular was the perfect solution minimizing the amount of work required on site.
Green Building Description : Unlike LEED, Passive House certification is a rigorous quality assurance process that determines whether a building performs to all of the Passive House standards. More importantly, it confirms that the building has been designed to achieve high levels of occupant comfort and health and energy performance.
For a building to be certified as a Passive House, it must meet or better the following main criteria:
Space Heat Demand - max. 15 kWh/m2a OR Heating load max. 10 W/m2
Pressurization Test Result @ 50 Pa - max. 0.6 ACH (both over-pressure and under-pressure)
Total Primary Energy Demand - max. 120 kWh/m2a
All heating and cooling calculations are based on the net usable floor area of the building. If cooling (air conditioning) is required, the annual cooling energy demand must also not exceed 15 kWh/m2.
Occupied Date : 9/30/2015
Production Start Date : 6/15/2015
Project Location City : Bella Bella
Project Location State Name : BC
Technical Innovation : In order to meet rigid Passive House standards, each module specification included: • Efficient building shape – using a ratio known as the ‘Shape Factor’ (the ratio of the buildings surface area divided by its volume) the heat loss from a building envelope is minimized. • Superinsulation – incorporation of the correct levels of insulation performance depending on the climate zone. • Advanced windows – using triple glazed units, with two low-e coatings, argon gas fill and insulated frames and spacers. • Airtightness – prevention of air infiltration and protection against moisture damage. • Thermal bridge-free construction – preventing an area of the building which has a significantly higher heat transfer than the surrounding materials, resulting in an overall reduction in thermal insulation of the building.
Total Square Feet : 5376