High Performance Design

With a progressive owner interested in combining sustainability with a homesteading lifestyle, Studio St. Germain conceived this new 1,400-square-foot house as part of its High Performance Program. The Greensburg Residence fuses exquisite design with energy efficiency and well-being to create a healthy, harmonious structure that allows its occupants to thrive. 

Exemplifying the power of high-performance architecture to affect its occupants positively, the Greensburg Residence also stresses livability, offering an abundance of natural light, a streamlined layout, consistent thermal balance, and improved air quality for day-to-day comfort.

A modern twist on traditional barns and cabins, the Greensburg Residence captures the serenity of its rustic surroundings while featuring cutting-edge elements, including resilient materials, an air-tight envelope, a designed HVAC system, and thermal bridge-free construction. These features, as well as several others, underscore how transcending common architecture is within reach of those looking for design with a purpose. 

Air Quality

Since indoor air quality is one of the primary elements for healthy living, Studio St. Germain prioritized the HVAC system design. Studies have shown that indoor air pollution can cause fatigue, headaches, allergies, and, in some cases, it can negatively affect concentration. To optimize indoor air quality, the Greensburg Residence features a multi-zone variable refrigerant flow air conditioning system and energy recovery ventilator.

An energy recovery ventilator preconditions outside air and exchanges it for the stale air found inside most homes. It also reduces humidity during the summer and maintains a balanced atmosphere. A multi-zone variable refrigerant flow system is a flexible HVAC technology that is energy-efficient and provides consistent and balanced thermal comfort.

The continuous ventilation rate and the MERV-rated filters (MERV stands for minimum efficiency reporting value) combine with the ERV and VRF to significantly reduce mold, volatile organic compounds, airborne pathogens, dust, excessive carbon dioxide, and particulate matter. For occupants, the result is a healthier environment, one that promotes productivity and minimizes the risk of triggering respiratory ailments.  

Energy

In keeping with the progressive values of the owner, the Greensburg Residence is an energy-efficient structure, underscoring how architecture can give back to the community by reducing grid usage and minimizing the need for fossil fuels.  

Achieving energy efficiency meant designing with core building science principles in mind, including site orientation. By designing with sunlight as a key factor, Studio St. Germain achieved a natural and consistent level of comfort. In the winter, direct sunlight will warm the Greensburg Residence, and in the summer, limited exposure to the sun will help keep it cool. Similarly, the adjustable louvered canopies control how much solar heat gain enters the structure at any given time, preserving thermal comfort.

The air-tight construction and the mineral wool insulation also help maintain stabilized temperatures throughout the year. (Mineral wool is also resistant to mildew, mold and fire.) In addition, thermal bridge-free construction ensures energy conservation by minimizing construction assemblies that allow cold or heat to seep into the home. When gaps in insulation cause thermal bridges—which are essentially cold or heat paths—there is a corresponding loss of energy from the HVAC system having to compensate for the imbalance. Because of its high-performance elements, The Greensburg Residence will combine to produce an EUI (Energy Use Intensity) of 22, which is 40% less than the baseline figure.

All-electric utilities eliminate the need for fossil fuels, making the Greenburg Residence a sustainable model as well. One of the benefits of avoiding fossil fuels is the subsequent reduction of carbon, which negatively impacts the environment. Reducing the carbon footprint will result in the equivalent of removing one car from the road per year or planting 24 trees per year.

Lighting

The importance of natural daylight to the overall livability of a home cannot be overstated. Not only does natural daylight conserve energy (translating into lower costs for the owners), but it also has documented positive physical and psychological effects on occupants. A lack of sunshine can contribute to depression, fatigue, and even insomnia. To alleviate these potential issues, the Greensburg Residence is designed with sunlight in mind. 

Oriented to the south, the Greensburg Residence receives natural light throughout its interior. Custom-designed louvered canopies ensure control over the amount of sunlight that enters the house at any time. Lowering the canopies dims the interior, while raising them allows sunshine to illuminate the home. 

This significant amount of sunlight helps regulate circadian rhythms, improves mood, and increases energy. Other benefits of natural light include generating heat during cold weather and providing the beauty of a sunlit interior set on an idyllic landscape. 

The bright, spacious design of the Greensburg Residence, with its patio and its open fireplace, compliments the owners' outdoor lifestyle and reflects their commitment to conserving natural resources.

Natural Order of Sustainability

As a newly constructed high-performance building, the Greensburg Residence follows the natural order of sustainability, focusing first on passive measures (such as site orientation, insulation, and air-tight envelopes) and then on mechanical or active systems, such as an efficient HVAC system. These strategic methods can reduce energy consumption enough that renewable energy systems such as solar panels may be reduced or even eliminated.  

An important, if underrated, aspect of high-performance architecture—and a significant element of passive measures—is the durability factor. Resilient materials are used for construction throughout the home. Naturally weathering finishes, exterior insulation and an air and water barrier combine to make the Greensburg Residence a sturdy, long-standing structure.

Over time, these strategies produce economic savings through reduced operational costs. First, energy loss is minimized because of airtightness and thermal bridge-free construction, decreasing utility expenditures. Second, the efficiency of the HVAC system, which includes a multi-zone variable refrigerant flow air conditioning system and energy recovery ventilator, means that the energy required to heat and cool the residence is far less than it would take to heat and cool a standard home. 

Similarly, the airtightness and mineral wool insulation in the Greensburg Residence prevents mold and mildew buildup, preserving the interiors and limiting future maintenance costs. 

By rigorously applying building science and high-performance principles to the Greensburg Residence, Studio St. Germain reflects one of its core philosophies: building for the public good.