In a statement this morning the U.S. Department of Energy announced that it had awarded Hammer & Hand with its prestigious 2015 Housing Innovation Award.
“The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) knows there is one chance during home construction to lock in critical performance measures that can take the homeowner experience to a new level of efficiency, comfort, health, and durability,” wrote the DOE in its statement. “But it will take housing industry leadership to provide this opportunity to American homebuyers. That’s why DOE proudly recognizes Hammer & Hand as one of our nation’s select 2015 Housing Innovation Award winning builders paving a path to this home of the future, today.”
The award comes in recognition of our energy consulting on and construction of Pumpkin Ridge Passive House, designed by Scott | Edwards Architecture. SEA and H&H worked together closely to meet our clients’ spatial and aesthetic goals while also achieving the rigorous performance metrics of Passive House.
Pumpkin Ridge Passive House engages a sloping site with sweeping territorial views.
“In an effort to create timeless architecture, all of our designs begin by responding to the site and listening to the owner’s vision. By integrating Hammer & Hand’s Passive House expertise into our design process early, we were able to shape the home into a fusion of performance and design,” said Rick Berry, principal at Scott | Edwards Architecture. “The home’s architecture becomes an expression of its performance imperatives as a low-carbon building.”
Generous roof overhang shades upper floor, while sliding exterior shades manage solar gain on lower floor.
The North Plains, Oregon home, also recipient of the 2014 Best Mainstream Green Home of the Year Award from GreenBuilder Media, has earned three green building certifications: PHIUS+ Passive House, DOE Zero Energy Ready Home, and Earth Advantage Platinum Home. A newly added 9.9 kW solar array will bring the home into “net zero energy” territory, meaning the home should produce as much or more energy than it consumes on an annual basis.
Rooftop solar array at Pumpkin Ridge Passive House.
“It is a tremendous honor to receive this recognition from the U.S. Department of Energy,” said Sam Hagerman, co-owner of Hammer & Hand. “This award confirms what we have discovered in the field – that the same high performance building techniques that revolutionize building energy efficiency also deliver superior indoor air quality, comfort, and building durability.”
The experience of Bryan Farris, owner of Pumpkin Ridge Passive House, bears this out.
“When you put a little more thought and a little more attention into the engineering of the house, you have a house that’s really comfortable, that you really enjoy, that you can stay in for the rest of your life and that you don’t want to leave,” said Bryan. “I don’t know that I can say that for any other houses that I’ve lived in.”
The award will be formally presented to Sam at the EEBA Excellence in Building Science Conference and Expo in Denver this October.
Components of high performance wall assembly at Pumpkin Ridge Passive House.
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