GO Logic’s 1,000-square foot, one-bedroom, two-bath residence, House on a Knoll, in Bath, Maine – completed back in 2011 – was among the homes featured in the publication.

The article discusses six key elements to building a super-efficient home: insulation, ventilation, windows, air-sealing, thermal bridging, and thermal mass.

The highlighted pre-designed home demonstrates how this approach toward high performance works hand-in-hand with comfort, flexibility and aesthetics at a low cost.

To read the entire article, check out Fine Homebuilding Magazine’s Winter special issue on Energy-Smart Homes, or get a preview of the article here.

1000SF Exterior

Photos courtesy of Brian Vanden Brink.

The post Build Like This: A Simple Approach to Building a Super-efficient House appeared first on GO Logic Architecture.

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“Lansing Home Builder Pushes Green Envelope”

“Only two builders in the state are certified to build highly energy-efficient “passive” homes. One is based in Lansing.   WKAR’s Mark Bashore joined Michael Klinger at the site of his latest “deep green” creation.  Situated at the end of a rocky, makeshift driveway, Maura and Kurt Jung’s new home could be out of the pages of ‘Vermont Life’ magazine.  The 2,000 square foot  structure is brand new, but the setting suggests the austere tranquility of old New England.  Seconds after I step inside, the home’s builder–Lansing’s Michael Klinger–cuts to the chase.”  To read and hear more, please visit:

http://wkar.org/post/lansing-home-builder-pushes-green-envelope

This home is on target to be the first certified passive house in Michigan.

The post WKAR Public Radio News Story on GO Logic’s Michigan Passive House appeared first on GO Logic Architecture.

The foundation occupies an 80-year-old brick masonry structure, formerly housing an elementary school. Spatially, the multi-level layout houses the intended program of flexible artist studios well. Physically, the building is in quite good shape considering its age; there is certainly ongoing maintenance, but it is manageable. However, when analyzed, the clear outlier is the annual heating bill, totaling nearly $20,000. The response was to suggest that rather than fundraising for a very slightly more efficient, yet costly, oil-fueled boiler Band-Aid, the group could raise slightly more money to super-insulate the existing assembly and in turn cut the annual energy demand by 68%. When coupled with a highly efficient air-source heat pump, annual heating expenses could be reduced to $3,000 resulting in a net savings of nearly one million dollars over the next 25 years. Moreover, the holistic approach allows the energy use to reduced to an extent to where onsite renewable energy to cover the heating bill was not a dream, but rather an achievable and financially beneficial option long term.

Given the tight financial reality facing occupants of aging structures, the cost-benefit alone of this type of solution is game changing and allows for a operational freedom not possible with the existing building. Moreover, this approach represents a visionary, marketable ideal; one which can be used to garner excitement in the community and extend the limits of fundraising in ways not possible with simple, routine maintenance.

The post Funding Not-For-Profits With Insulation appeared first on GO Logic Architecture.

The Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage is a first-of-its-kind, Passive House level community in North America, as well as the largest residential development currently being constructed in Maine.  The project is an ongoing collaboration between GO Logic and Belfast Cohousing.

The project took shape in 2007 when a group of individuals formed the original Belfast Cohousing group.  They joined together with the goal of creating a development that would demonstrate smart growth and sustainable principles, and be a replicable model for other communities to emulate across the country.  The group leapt into action when a 170 acre piece of prime farmland came onto the market and a founding member was able to purchase it and thus save it from being chopped up into standard, energy-inefficient housing developments.  The group purchased 42 acres of the 170 acres on which it designed and is building the community.

This is an important project for G-O Logic and is a phenomenal example of what can be achieved utilizing sustainable building principals.  On this project, our goal has been to preserve farmland while demonstrating a smart growth model, based on compact development principals, coupled with low energy buildings, all while building at costs comparable to standard residential construction.  In addition to developing the site plan and the design of the residential units, G-O Logic is the general contractor on the project.  This capability to both design and build our projects is a large part of how we are able to build homes of this caliber for near standard residential construction prices.

From the design standpoint, we were focused on providing a seamless integration of the community with its infrastructure needs, and the natural beauty of the rural landscape’s rolling topography.  We broke from cohousing development precedent and oriented the housing to maximize solar benefit to the degree possible while still allowing for a neighborhood feel with houses placed opposite each other on a pedestrian path.  The placement of the common house on the central green, and the pedestrian paths throughout the community, encouraging meaningful opportunities for interaction.

The homes themselves are designed and built utilizing the techniques, materials, and craft that we honed on our award winning, Passive House certified GO Home.  The super-insulated building shell and slab-on-grade construction, along with German-made triple glazed windows, a heat recovery ventilation system, and intelligently designed passive and active solar-based mechanical systems all add up to a home that is 80%- 90% more energy-efficient than one built with standard construction practices.  Not only are we doing it at a cost comparable to standard construction, but the long-term savings are enormous.  We’ve calculated that over a thirty year period, a house similar to our GO Home would save its homeowner at least $170,000.

There are still units in the Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage available for purchase.  Call 207.338.9200 for information, and check back here often for more information, photos, etc.

The post Belfast Cohousing & Ecovillage Hits Major Milestone appeared first on GO Logic Architecture.

“A new dormitory at Unity College in Unity, Maine, constructed by G•O Logic and called TerraHaus, is the first student residence hall in the United States to achieve the European Passive House standard. The building shell reduced the heating load by 90 percent from International Energy Conservation Code–compliant construction, resulting in a near-zero-energy building. Housing 10 students, the compact 2,100-square-foot project is an educational tool for Passive House and sustainable building techniques, and includes monitoring systems that track energy use, thermal comfort, solar hot water production, and air quality.” (Eco Structure)….  To read more please visit Eco Structure Magazine

The post Eco Structure Magazine’s 2012 Evergreen Award Winner: GO Logic’s TerraHaus appeared first on GO Logic Architecture.

“To delve deeper into our coverage of the 2012 Evergreen Awards, ECO-STRUCTURE asked the winning firms to detail their experiences with sustainable design. These offices didn’t just happen upon a winning scheme—rather, they’re all well-versed in integrating high-performance strategies into their projects. Below we take a closer look at some of the core values that shape each firm’s ethos.” (Eco Sstructure)

Click to read the article on Eco Structure Magazine

The post Eco Structure Magazine Profile: G•O Logic Believes That Performance Must Be Proven With Data. appeared first on GO Logic Architecture.

This is a great honor as there were over 225 entries and a distinguished panel of jurors led by Patricia Patkau of Patkau Architects, Vancouver, British Columbia recognized our exemplary design achievement. Patricia delivered the keynote address about “Design of Place” and later led the presentations of the awards.

TerraHaus is the first Passive House Certified residence hall built in North America and is now home to 10 Unity Students.  TerraHaus was completed in 2011.

The post TerraHaus- 2012 AIA New England Citation Design Award appeared first on GO Logic Architecture.

After looking at the data from the emonitor from last year it is clear that most of the supplemental heat that the home needed came from typical activities, such as cooking, computers and lighting. The total amount of energy spent on the heating circuits for all of last year (not including domestic hot water) was $30. On the one hand, last winter was very mild.  On the other hand, my wife insists on having the bedroom window cracked open at night all year round. I won’t go into the amount of hot water my wife and two daughters use, I’m just happy we have a large solar hot water system, and very clean children.

In general, we think last winter underperformed as a season and we are hoping for a bit more intensity this year.

-Riley Pratt

Here are a few photos from this past year in the GO Home:

The post A year in the GO Home appeared first on GO Logic Architecture.

The First Passive House-certified student residence hall in the United States earns special recognition from the EHDA jury.

TerraHaus, the first Passive House-certified student residence hall in the United States, so impressed the Design Awards judges that they created a special designation called Student Housing. Built with comfort and sustainability in mind, the cozy space for 10 is a far cry from typical institutional living, they said.

The home’s lucky occupants benefit from its healthy and low-maintenance interior finishes, including Sherwin-Williams Harmony no-VOC paint, sealed concrete floors, formaldehyde-free IKEA cabinets, and colorful linoleum flooring in the bedrooms. “This is really durable stuff, but it doesn’t feel cold,” remarked one judge…..

To read more, please visit:

http://www.ecohomemagazine.com/award-winners/terrahaus-unity-maine.aspx

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