Evanston's First Passive House: Crafting a 21st Century Solution for an Evanston Historic District

The home was designed to PHIUS (Passive House) standards, one of the most rigorous building certifications for exceptionally energy-efficient and remarkably resilient homes. It is approximately 30 times as airtight as the neighboring homes, all while providing correct levels of fresh air. It has a very large solar array to power the house. Because it is an all-electric home, it does not have a gas line going to it, and even has a carbon-free ‘fireplace’. The house design had to go before the Evanston Preservation Commission for review and approval, and as such, it had to relate to the surrounding historic homes on the 1200 block of Maple. This was accomplished through the relationship of its height, apparent scale, materials, proportions, and general massing of its key architectural components. Come join us to learn about this groundbreaking home and a key marker in Evanston’s architectural history!