Valemount Passivhus

Project Description

Valemount Passivhus (“passive house” in Swedish) was designed and built for Laura Keil and Andru McCracken (former Mayor of Valemount).  The client’s intent to pursue Passive House certification was to showcase Valemount as a growing community responsible to the beautiful surroundings of the Rocky Mountains including Mt. Robson and Mt. Trudeau, the latter of which is framed by the family room window of the upper floor. Exterior walls and roof were pre-fabricated by Collective Carpentry and  shipped to the site and framed within two days. Prefabricated wall and roof assembly consisting of 2×4 studs with mineral wool insulation and 14-16″ I-joist insulation cavity with cellulose insulation on EPS wrapped grade beam foundation and slab on grade. Galvalum roof, windows and doors by Gaulhofer. A time-lapse video by the client may be viewed here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KXbkDYfTks.  The cladding consists of charred cedar as a durable and aesthetic solution to a local material. The only major challenge to overcome was the area-volume ratio due to the small scale of the house.

Valemount Passivhus is a landmark to sustainable design as the city will soon welcome the world upon completion of a new expansive ski resort that will rival those such as Zermatt in the Swiss and Italian Alps.