The Stevenson School is an independent school with campuses in Carmel and Pebble Beach, California serving grades K-8 and 9-12 respectively. The New faculty housing duplex, designed by Turnbull Griffin Haesloop, is the first of five that will eventually replace the existing housing along faculty row and double the number of families that the school can accommodate on school grounds.
Each duplex has been carefully located to preserve the existing cyprus and pine trees native to the Del Monte Forest in which the school is located and each of the 2,000 square foot units have been designed to meet the standards of the Passive House Institute.
The passive house concept represents today's highest energy standard requiring a reduction in energy consumption for space heating by 90% and resulting in the reduction of overall energy use by as much as 70%. Rather than relying on 'active' systems such as photovoltaic panels or solar hot water panels, passive houses must meet these energy goals through optimizing orientation, air-tight construction, super-insulation, high performance triple-pane windows, reductions in thermal bridging, and heat recovery ventilation units that capture heat form the exhaust air and uses it preheat the incoming fresh air. Operable windows and doors are provided for natural ventilation and in addition passive houses are continuously ventilated allowing for much higher levels of indoor air quality than traditional construction.
The resulting house is able to maintain remarkably constant interior humidity and temperature levels while going a long way to reduce the buildings ecological footprint.
Photos: David Wakely