Built in Canada: Lessons Learned from PH Projects (BC)

Join Kim Walton (Bow Crow Design), Vincent Siu (Siu Architecture Inc.), Erik Olofsson (Erik Olofsson Construction Inc.), and Laura Keil & Andru McCracken (Valemount PH Homeowners) presenting on Valemount Passivehus: a single-family dwelling certified by PHI in 2017, located in the Rocky Mountains west of Jasper.

Valemount Passivhus (“passive house” in Swedish) was designed and built for Laura Keil and Andru McCracken (former Mayor of Valemount).  The client’s intent to pursue Passive House certification was to showcase Valemount as a growing community responsible to the beautiful surroundings of the Rocky Mountains including Mt. Robson and Mt. Trudeau, the latter of which is framed by the family room window of the upper floor. Exterior walls and roof were pre-fabricated by Collective Carpentry and shipped to the site and framed within two days. Prefabricated wall and roof assembly consisting of 2×4 studs with mineral wool insulation and 14-16″ I-joist insulation cavity with cellulose insulation on EPS wrapped grade beam foundation and slab on grade. Galvalum roof, windows and doors by Gaulhofer. The cladding consists of charred cedar as a durable and aesthetic solution to a local material. The only major challenge to overcome was the area-volume ratio due to the small scale of the house.

Laura Keil and Andru McCracken have been living in the house for the past 6 years. This presentation will provide an overview of getting a Passive House Single Family Home built in a remote location. In addition to exploring the technical aspects of this Passive House build, Laura and Andru will share their lived experiences in building and living in a Passive House. They will share their thoughts about what they love about their house, what they would do differently and the drawbacks to living in a Passive House.

Source: https://www.passivehousecanada.com/events/online-bic-bc-28-mar-2022/