Design

The Project
Posted by David on March 14, 2012
Design

3Palms Specs

  • 2,450 Square Feet
  • 3 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths
  • Radiant Heating
  • Photovoltaic Solar Panels
  • Recycled and Renewable Products

3Palms Design Criteria Goals

  • Stringent performance standards for air tightness and energy consumption.
  • Strict attention to climate change imperatives, economic feasibility, building durability, occupant comfort and indoor air quality.
  • Virtually airtight, primarily heated by passive solar and internal heat gains from occupants, cooking, bathing, electrical equipment, etc.
  • Control of summer heat through shading, window orientation and passive ventilation.
  • Back up heating and cooling demand to be provided by an extremely small source instead of a conventional HVAC system.
  • A heat/energy recovery ventilator will provide a constant supply of tempered, filtered fresh air.
  • Accurate climate – and site – specific energy modeling.
  • Super insulation.
  • High performance windows and doors
  • Optimized solar design. Truly solar: uses passive solar design, generates 100% of electricity from Photovoltaic panels, and heats hot water using solar thermal units.
  • 100% of lumber originates from sustainably harvested forests (FSC certified) and all concrete uses a 50% fly ash mix.
  • Net Zero Energy – 100% fossil free.