High Performance Design

Making the most out of its 700-square feet, the Wilkinsburg Residence is a model of healthy architecture and environmentally conscious design. One of the few homes to seek a Passive House EnerPHit certification in Pennsylvania, the Wilkinsburg Residence combines sustainability with human-centric principles to produce a transformative home, one that responds to societal as well as personal concerns.

To achieve an EnerPHit certification, a building must meet rigorous standards in airtightness, thermal insulation, and energy efficiency. The result is a reduced carbon footprint, significant energy reduction from airtight construction and an extended lifecycle from the use of resilient materials. These features also produce projected savings of more than 58% on annual energy expenditures, an important factor during inflationary times.

Beyond the essential components of energy efficiency and carbon reduction is the therapeutic value intrinsic to high-performance buildings. Not only is the Wilkinsburg Residence an exemplar of sustainable housing, but it also offers benefits integral to wellness. Superior indoor air quality (continuously monitored), regulated temperature and humidity, and safe water provided by a whole house filtration system are some of the key elements that emphasize well-being.

Livability is also a vital aspect of the Wilkinsburg Residence, both in its performance and its aesthetic. The floor plan stresses accessibility, and the warm color palette emanates a peaceful aura throughout. Behind the house, a bluestone patio and a charming garden extend the serene atmosphere of the interior.

Air Quality

One of the key factors in making the Wilkinsburg Residence a model of design for well-being is its focus on indoor air quality. Because air quality has been an overlooked aspect of everyday living for years, its importance has only recently been addressed in architecture. Poor air quality can exacerbate respiratory ailments such as bronchitis and asthma and, in cases of overexposure, cause possible cognitive decline.

The Wilkinsburg Residence features a high-capacity HVAC system that includes energy recovery ventilation and variant refrigerant flow. The ventilation rate is projected to be as much as 268% higher than ASHRAE minimums.

To ensure maximum quality, this system is reinforced by real-time tracking, with monitors that track analytics and report them to a cloud-based platform. Continuously measuring carbon dioxide, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds ensures a healthy environment.

Renewables

For generations, reliance on fossil fuels has driven climate change and caused significant damage to the environment. This, in turn, affects human health. Pollutants, wildfires, heat-related illnesses, and extreme weather patterns all have tangible impacts on the population.

Creating a sustainable yet comfortable home that enhances wellness requires a fusing of Passive House elements, quality design, and humanist concepts. Although sustainability strategies reduce the depletion of resources (and, by extension, minimize carbon emissions), they do not restore or regenerate them. For the Wilkinsburg Residence, a high-performance building that stresses the public and personal good equally, renewable energy is a priority. A renewable energy source is a source that produces power that can be naturally replenished, conserving energy and limiting stress on the power grid. The residence features a photovoltaic array that uses solar energy to ensure a positive impact on the environment.

The photovoltaic array, placed atop the carport behind the garden, virtually eliminates electrical usage; indeed, its projected reduction reaches net-zero status. In comparing energy generation to consumption, the array produces an annual net positive of 904 kWh. Its carbon emissions savings are equivalent to removing 1.5 cars from the road or saving 110 trees.

On a small scale, the renewable practices implemented by the Wilkinsburg Residence reflect the crucial need for an architecture based on placing people at the center of its design.

Energy

In pursuing a Passive House EnerPHit certificate, the Wilkinsburg Residence reflects one of the core values of high-performance buildings: design for the public good. Predictive modeling points to significant energy reduction across the board, as much as eighty percent over the course of a year.

A solar array on the roof will generate 6,551 kWh per year, a figure that meets net-zero standards, making the Wilkinsburg Residence not just efficient when it comes to energy usage but also a standout example of sustainable architecture.

The airtight envelope, thermal insulation, and triple-glazed windows combine to produce an EUI (Energy Use Intensity) of 16, 80% less than the baseline figure. In addition, the Wilkinsburg Residence, designed to maximize natural light, is powered exclusively by electricity, avoiding fossil fuels entirely for cooking and heating.

Water Quality

Since recent reports have revealed that Wilkinsburg has seen an increase in lead in its water, the importance of a high-grade filtration system has never been greater. With that in mind, the Wilkinsburg Residence features a whole house filtration and conditioning system that removes pollutants from the water and makes it safer for all uses: drinking, bathing, cooking, and cleaning.

Municipal water can also contain chlorine, volatile organic compounds, and pesticides; although these contaminants are harmless in limited quantities, they may prove toxic over time.

Wilkinsburg also has a water hardness rating of 136, which is above average. Hard water can irritate sensitive skin, sometimes leaving it itchy or even causing dermatitis, and its mineral buildup can damage hair, drying it out and weakening its tensile strength.

Excess calcium and magnesium in hard water can also corrode pipes, drains, and faucets, leading to increased repairs and expenditures over time. Softening the water not only offers physical benefits to the homeowner but it also reduces future maintenance costs and extends the life cycle of plumbing equipment.

Carbon Footprint

As the dangers of climate change become clearer and clearer every year, architecture, which actively contributes to global warming through greenhouse gas emissions during the manufacturing phase of construction, has begun to recognize the importance of ethical design. Globally, building construction accounts for nearly 40% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions annually. For high-performance buildings, combining positive environmental impact with quality design is a primary focus.

When complete, for example, the Wilkinsburg Residence will operate with an annual carbon emissions rate projected to be 67% less than houses of a similar size and type. Operational carbon emissions–which are produced by power demands from lighting, heating, and cooling in tens of millions of homes across the country–are drastically minimized.

Incorporating Passive House principles into the design addresses energy consumption, one of the major sources of carbon emissions. By using a solar array and ensuring energy efficiency (through airtightness and thermal insulation), the Wilkinsburg Residence balances sustainability and social responsibility.