The Karuna House

• High performance design & construction
• Seeking Passive House, Minergie-P-ECO & LEED Platinum certification
• Designed by Holst Architecture
• Built by Hammer & Hand

A national case study of green building.

Hammer & Hand has joined forces with Holst Architecture to build the Karuna House, an ambitious green building project in Yamhill County, Oregon that aims to meet the world's most demanding green building certifications, including Passive House, Minergie-P-ECO, & LEED for Homes Platinum.

The Karuna House's client, a leading proponent of smart climate policy and sound land use, is pursuing the project as a case study to shed light on the ways that the leading green building certifications and standards complement one another, and the ways that they may conflict.

"It's a great challenge," says Hammer & Hand’s Sam Hagerman, who also serves as President of the national Passive House Alliance.  "When you line up the various aims of the standards, like the superior energy performance of Passive House, the sustainable materials requirements of LEED, and the lifecycle concerns of Minergie-P-ECO, you're left with a fairly narrow path to navigate through in design and construction.  It'll be an interesting journey, one with pretty exciting environmental rewards… and lessons."

Green Hammer, Intep LLC and Earth Advantage Institute will provide independent consultation on Passive House, Minergie and LEED requirements, respectively.

Check back here for updates on the ongoing project.