Park City, Utah

Site Size: 0.37 acres

Project Size: 2,400 square feet

Program: At an elevation of 7,000 feet, 125 Haus is a 2,400-square-foot residence for German architect Jörg Rügemer’s family of four in Park City, Utah. The three-story house, completed in October 2011 for $282,600, contains three bedrooms, two bathrooms, living and dining spaces, and a studio and garage on the basement level. Rügemer, an architecture professor at the University of Utah since 2006, wanted to employ strict German energy standards to create one of the most energy-efficient residences in Utah.

Solution: Rügemer conducted energy simulations throughout the design phase, adjusting the building configuration, wall systems, and materials to optimize performance. With a façade of stucco and cedar, the house has a double stud wood frame that is insulated with 11 inches of fiberglass. It also contains high-performance windows (U-values between 0.14 and 0.20) that are extremely airtight (0.8 ACH50). The large south-facing windows provide passive solar heat on sunny days. The house is also equipped with a heat recovery ventilator, an on-demand hot water heater, and a direct-vent gas fireplace for cold nights and gloomy days, eliminating the need for a standard furnace.

The architect has continued to monitor energy usage post occupancy; the house is 80 percent more efficient than a standard residential building built to code in the same location. The average monthly energy bill for heating and cooling is $22, totaling $265 per year.

People

Owner: Jörg Rügemer, Manuela Vojnovic

Location: Park City, Utah

Completion Date: October 2011

Gross square footage: 2,400

Total construction cost: $282,600

Architect:
AJR Atelier Jörg Rügemer
125 Parkview Place
Park City
Utah 84098
801-662-8727

Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit:
Engineer(s): Heliocentric Salt Lake City

General contractor: Garbett Homes, Salt Lake City

Photographer(s):
Scot Zimmerman, Heber City, Utah

CAD system, project management, or other software used:
VectorWorks2009, Google SketchUp, Energy Plus, Passive House Planning Package

 

Products

Structural system
Double stud wood frame with 11” cavity, filled with 11” BIB fiberglass insulation

Exterior cladding
Rainscreen: see under wood

Wood: Red cedar planks as rain screen in parts of the facade

EIFS, ACM, or other: Stucco on 4” EIFS

Moisture barrier: Tyvek for EIFS

Roofing
Built-up roofing: 16”TGI, 16” BIB fiberglass insulation, OSB, 4-8” EPS rigid foam

Elastomeric: White TPO membrane

Windows
Insulated fiberglass  frames: Cascadia tilt-turn 300 series; fixed 301 series; Serious Windows 525/725 series

Glazing
Cascadia Windows: Cardinal IG 3-pane two low-e coatings argon/air filled for large formats and all operable glass doors

Serious 525 two argon filled chambers for fixed windows;
Series 725 two krypton filled chamber for operable windows.

Doors
Entrance: Therma-True 2” flat fiberglass door

Wood doors: Solid core interior flat custom doors

Hardware
Locksets: Inox Aurora Tubular polishes SS

Closers: Inox Aurora Tubular polishes SS

Exit devices: Inox Aurora Tubular polishes SS

Pulls:Inox Aurora Tubular polishes SS

Security devices: Inox Aurora Tubular polishes SS

Interior finishes
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork:Duravit, Sonia, Ikea

Paints and stains: Sherwin Williams, American Pride

Wall coverings: White paint on smooth finish

Floor and wall til: Villeroy & Boch Bernina anthracite, Bathrooms, Sauna

Resilient flooring: red birch hardwood flooring, oiled and waxed

Special interior finishes unique to this project: sun activated polished concrete floor in kitchen, hydronically activated polished concrete floor in studio

Furnishings
Office furniture: USM modular furniture

Chairs: Henry Miller, Design Within Reach

Tables: Henry Miller

Upholstery: Ikea

Lighting
Downlights: 4” 35W halogen recessed cans

Task lighting: Artemide, Ikea

Exterior: Magazin/Germany

Dimming System or other lighting controls: Lutron Electronic Dimmer Systems

Plumbing
Grohe low-flow Fixtures throughout, Navien on-demand hot water heater, Duravit/Geberit in-wall water tank dual flush toilets, Duravit shower tubs, bath tub, sinks, Sonia sinks and bathroom furniture

Energy
Energy management or building automation system:Custom build web-based energy control and monitoring system

Other unique products that contribute to sustainability:
The house is designed and constructed to the passive house standard, with an average monthly energy bill for heating and cooling of $22/month or $265/year (natural gas and electricity for systems).

Add any additional building components or special equipment that made a significant contribution to this project: To make 125 Haus a market-transferable case study, all components are available in the U.S. market.