Jonathon Selway Architects

Passive House

Situated on a corner lot in a small historic town along the eastern shore of Maryland, this passive home was intentional in every aspect of the design and construction. The design is of a simple gable typology to pay homage to the forms of the early nineteenth century Federal style homes in the area. However, emphasis was still taken to create a distinctly contemporary passive home built to last generations. Facing due south, the house is angled slightly off axis of the rectangular property, addressing the corner as your approach the neighborhood while also providing ideal E/W orientation for the passive solar design. Care was taken throughout the façade to balance glazing ratios for each orientation. The front porch is meticulously detailed with the integration a large cantilever zero-fascia roof, custom stainless steel knife plate connections on the cedar posts, and intricate cedar siding patterns throughout.

The home only utilizes the most sustainable products throughout, such as, but not limited to recycled fly-ash composite siding, FSC certified cedar siding, Cellulose cavity insulation, Rockwool exterior insulation, No-VOC interior finishes, and locally sourced Wood and Millwork. The envelope and building were meticulously detailed and built to some of the most advanced green building methods.