Passive House 6 Flat - Chicago

Landon Bone Baker Architects, 2018

This affordable multifamily project was designed to meet Passive House, an extremely sustainable approach to construction which focuses primarily on creating an airtight, well-insulated building envelope. With exterior walls, roof, and floors built tight, the mechanical systems can be drastically sized-down (thus less active, more passive heating and cooling).

This 6-Flat became the first Passive House new construction project in Chicago. As such, we worked closely with engineers at the City of Chicago Building Department and PHIUS to meet all required codes and Chicago’s rigorous fire safety requirements for Type III - Exterior Protected Construction (a requirement for multi-family projects). The walls are quite thick (almost 13”) and include 4” of continuous exterior insulation outside of the steel stud walls. This is coated in stucco for durability. Architecturally, very careful detailing was paramount to our design team, as any thermal bridge would create a gap in our tight envelope and reduce the building’s ability to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The end result is that the residents will enjoy better comfort and indoor air quality.

In 2019, this project was named the PHIUS “Passive House Project Competition Best Overall Project” at the North American Passive House Conference.

images courtesy of LBBA and Ballogg Photography