Durfeld Constructors, a general contractor who built the Austrian Olympic Passive House in Whistler BC, has announced the construction commencement on the Whistler Passive House Duplex, a demo project that utilizes a panelized prefabrication system for low energy consumption.
Whistler Passive House
The duplex housing unit designed by Marken Projects, a Vancouver-based architectural company, will occupy an area of 2,150 square foot and will have four bedrooms, two bathrooms and an incomplete basement. The design of the housing unit enables it to utilize nearly 90% less energy for heating and cooling purposes than a normal house of the same size. Its strong and compact design, quality insulation and the achieved solar heat gain allows the house to uphold sufficient temperature inside the house for a comfortable living during winter.
The company has introduced a panelized prefabrication system and constructed the interior floors, roofs and exterior walls as large panels at its newly developed facility to cut down the building costs and improve the construction environment. The construction utilized pre-insulated wooden panels with installed siding and windows, to cut down the onsite cost of construction in difficult work sites and challenging weather conditions.
The demo project in order to meet the affordability pre-requisites fixed by the Whistler Resort municipality used turnkey type of construction to control the budget. The construction will include energy efficient features such as solar water heater, cross laminated timber decking, rainwater harvesting facility, subsoil heat exchanger heat recovery system and a drain water heat recovery facility. The building will be ready for occupation in the late fall of 2011.
Source: http://www.durfeldlogconstruction.com/