home
With nowhaus, our goal was to create a freestanding single-family home imbued with the style and attitude of an urban loft— in a prime city neighborhood. We were committed to using environmentally sustainable materials and smart construction techniques. As always, we tried to incorporate ordinary materials, reused materials and even dumpster refuse in imaginative ways. (Our penchant for finding and utilizing materials bound for landfills has earned us gritty respect within the environmental community.)
In each project we undertake, we look for ways to reduce the waste and negative environmental impact that’s frequently associated with standard construction. We adhere to guidelines like these to ensure that our homes are efficient, healthy and durable.
In this home, for the sake of thermal comfort, energy efficiency and mold prevention, we insulated all exterior walls with a continuous layer of rigid insulation outside the framing layer, plus a continuous vapor barrier outside the wall sheathing on the 1st floor and the greater part of the 2nd floor. This approach virtually eliminates the problems with cold spots, condensation and insulation settling that are prevalent in conventional fiberglass techniques.
For passive solar heating, we have provided a large glass surface on the southwestern corner of the main living space that works with the concrete floor to help heat and cool the property.
The Loewen windows used throughout the house are the best we’ve found in their cost class, in terms of thermal performance, aesthetics and solidity. The company’s environmental commitment combined with their use of Douglas fir from managed forests in their stock windows (not the less expensive pine prevalent in most windows) makes them virtually the only windows we specify.
| call us at 612.706.5600 | email us @ locus-mpls(at)locusarchitecture(dot)com | LOCUS Architecture |