active passive house
From the spring of 2022 to the fall of 2023 I lived in The Sacred Valley of Peru. Located in the Cusco region, deep in the Andes mountains at 10,000 ft+ above sea, the culture and lands here are fully alive.
It was the first time in my life that I lived in earthen homes made of adobe. I fell in love. These structures are alive with energy, connected to the rhythms of life. My health, vitality, and creativity thrived in this environment.
Upon returning to the United States, I desired to recreate the qualities I experienced in the homes in Peru. Our climate here is much different from the temperate wet and dry seasons of the valley. My research led me to the Passive House design system and its adaptability to our climate in central Ohio.
Net Zero Energy - Living Materials - Harmonic Proportions - GeoAlchemy Design
Net Zero Energy - Living Materials - Harmonic Proportions - GeoAlchemy Design
Net Zero Energy&
Living Materials&
Harmonic Proportions&
OPTIMIZED ACCOUSTICS&
GeoAlchemy Design&
The passive house design model offered the energetic performance I was after. In Peru, the adobe homes + the mountain climate create a house that requires 0 energy for heating and cooling - outside the comfort of a warm fire.
The passive house’s super-insulated, airtight structure offers a similar performance, even in cold or hot temperature extremes. Yet there are other elements to consider, one being internal environment quality. With an air-tight structure, the sometimes toxic conventional building materials used can have increased detrimental health effects.
The active passive house utilizes high-pressure treated (zero chemical) siding, natural wood/stone tile flooring, hemp board cabinetry, and most importantly earthen clay plaster walls. Living materials filled with the same photonic energy as the homes I lived in in Peru.
All renderings by www.driftindustry.com