Englewood Passive House Duplex

The Englewood Passivhaus sets a new standard for high-end low-energy living as the first multi-family Passivhaus International (PHI) certified project in Colorado.

The 2-unit building is situated on a difficult site adjacent to a busy arterial road. The design was driven by the acoustic and visual challenges of the site. Creating quiet, comfortable, healthy, indoor environments aligned with the Passivhaus standard.

The design features a bank of triple-pane south facing windows, which optimizes passive solar gain while bringing dramatic daylight into the heart of the home on all stories, while shutting out sound and pollution of the adjacent highway. Strategically located skylights provide dramatic daylight and privacy to some interior spaces. Both units command sweeping views to the Rocky Mountains from the upper stories.A large balcony serves as a dramatic extension to a spacious party room on the third floor.

Reducing the embodied carbon footprint was also a goal of the project. Both units feature a slab on grade approach without using any concrete. The floor is composed of a super durable membrane, insulation and sheathing. This provided a very resilient floor system with a much smaller carbon footprint. The construction also includes a wood framed wall with continuous exterior insulation.

The bold design, with rich wood and metal siding emphasized by large window openings, was the result of a careful and pragmatic approach, which sought to optimize the home for passive solar while shielding occupants from the busy highway, and prioritizing simplicity in order to optimize energy performance.