Midtown Passive House
In 2013, Brookfield Homes, a distinguished land development and homebuilding firm, retained Studio St. Germain as its Passive House consultant for its Midtown Community in Denver. The result was the first Certified Passive House in of Colorado and the first Certified Passive House built by a production home builder in the United States. Designing to meet the rigorous standards of PHIUS means prioritizing energy efficiency, achieving and maintaining thermal comfort (through balanced ventilation and heat recovery), providing continuous insulation, and maximizing airtightness. Another important aspect of the Midtown Passive House is thermal bridge-free construction, which reduces heat loss and stabilizes interior temperatures.
For Brookfield Homes, this Passive House design was offered as an energy-efficient upgrade option to their standard residential plans. The Midtown Passive House won Green Home of the Year award at the 2013 Denver MAME Awards. It also received the 2014 National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Gold Award in the Green Built Home Category and an Honorable Mention as Project of the Year for single family production homes.