APPLETON FARMS SETS A SUSTAINABILITY EXAMPLE

In this video by the USGBC, former Director of Structural Resources for the Trustees of Reservations, Jim Younger, describes the sustainability philosophy used at the Center for Agriculture and the Environment at Appleton Farms. Both the farmhouse and the west wing on the property underwent a thorough renovation and deep energy retrofit to achieve the client’s desire for net zero carbon energy performance.

ZeroEnergy Design provided energy consulting and mechanical design services for this project.

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Hollis Montessori Goes Net Positive

First Certified Passive House Elementary School in the U.S.

The Hollis Montessori School celebrated their tenth anniversary with a transition to renewable energy. As the first Certified Passive House elementary school in the U.S., the building already has an exceptionally efficient enclosure paired with high performance systems (for heating, cooling, hot water, lighting, and ventilation). The new installation of a 56.8 kW photovoltaic system completes the vision developed by the board of directors. The system is expected to offset all the energy demand of the high-performance building, with extra energy available for use for the other buildings on the school campus. The building is now net positive energy, and contributing to the goal of net zero energy for the entire campus.

ZED provided Passive House Consulting and Mechanical Design for the project.

MORE: HOLLIS MONTESSORI CASE STUDY

ZED Tapped as Expert on Minimizing Construction Waste

Careful planning during the design phase can help divert construction waste from the landfills as well as save money, and it all begins with sizing the home properly.

“Right-size rather than over-size - this is the most influential way to reduce construction materials,” said ZED’s Stephanie Horowitz in Houzz’s latest article.

Stephanie shares several additional tips to improve sustainability and minimize construction waste. Clink on the below link to read the full article.

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Concord Green Home Featured in Houzz

ZED’s classically beautiful, healthy, and ecofriendly Concord Green Home was just featured in a Houzz editorial article on ‘sustainable homes created by design professionals for themselves’.

The residence was created for interior designer Lisa Tharp who wanted a home that not only blended in seamlessly with the traditional New England architecture in the Concord, Massachusetts, neighborhood, but also offered the highest indoor air quality and a low carbon footprint. Multi-functional living spaces such as the first-floor home office that could also serve as an ADA-compliant master suite or the alcove off the second-floor master bedroom that could work equally well as a secondary office space or a walk-in closet ensured that the home met the needs of the family and would also appeal to future homeowners.

The home won the EcoHome Design Award in 2011 and has been previously featured in Fine HomeBuilding and Design New England magazines.

For the the full article, click on the link below.

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Greenport Passive House - New Passive House Consulting & Mechanical Design Project

ZeroEnergy Design is excited to present a new Passive House Consulting and Mechanical Design case study - the Greenport Passive House in Greenport, New York.

Designed by the Turett Collaborative, the architect’s decisions regarding the home’s orientation and upside-down layout maximize natural light and passive solar gain in the upper level living-areas. ZED then assisted with consulting for the Passive House-aligned airtight building envelope, continuous insulation, meticulous air sealing, triple-glazed windows, and high-efficiency HVAC and hot water systems - all of which work together to ensure exceptional energy performance, improved indoor air quality, and first-rate comfort for the occupants.

Read the full case study below.

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FORBES INTERVIEWED ZED's Stephanie Horowitz

Forbes magazine writer Regina Cole crafts an article about New England high-end homeowner’s interest beyond style and beauty - a growing interest in energy.

The article offers design insights from prominent New England architects, including Stephanie Horowitz, Managing Director at ZeroEnergy Design who shares, “Our clients are well schooled in matters of energy conservation; they come to us with a high level of knowledge.”

Stephanie notes that eco-conscious clients interested in gardening often look for basement root cellars to augment upstairs food storage as part of their general goal towards resiliency and self-sufficiency - ZED’s Farmstead Passive House in Vermont is a good example. She also mentions that Passive House, which advocates rigorous standards for energy efficiency in buildings, is particularly suitable for New England’s cold weather conditions.

The full article is linked below.

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Renovated Paul Rudolph House in Dwell, Energy by ZED

A Paul Rudolph House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is featured in Dwell magazine after Ruhl Studio Architects renovated the much-loved mid-century home to accommodate the needs of the new homeowners and greatly improve the energy efficiency. As a consultant to Ruhl Studio Architects, ZeroEnergy Design provided energy consulting and mechanical design for the project. The envelope updates and new HVAC system help ensure increased thermal comfort, healthy indoor air, and a smaller operational carbon footprint for the home.

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Dartmouth Oceanfront House Featured in Ocean Home Magazine

The June-July edition of Ocean Home magazine includes a detailed feature on ZeroEnergy Design’s gorgeous, green, and energy-efficient Dartmouth oceanfront home. The article includes the homeowners perspective as well as that of ZED’s Stephanie Horowitz and other professionals involved in the design and construction of the two-story, modern home in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

The empty nest couple wanted a contemporary home that took advantage of the location, accommodated entertaining, allowed them to age in place, and had a low carbon footprint. “ZeroEnergy Design was the obvious choice for us….. they get it in so many ways”, said the homeowners.

During her interview with Ocean Home, architect Stephanie Horowitz clarified “Pairing design and performance is what we do. Great design is green design.”

Read the complete article online:

MORE: OCEAN HOME ARTICLE (Flipbook version)
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Chicago Passive House Listed in the Passive House Database

The Ellis Passive House, which was the first PHI certified passive house in Chicago, is now officially listed in the international Passive House database.

The Passive House database is a joint project of the Passive House Institute, the Passivhaus Dienstleistung GmbH, the IG Passivhaus Deutschland and the iPHA (International Passive House Association) and contains a detailed overview of realized Passive Houses from around the world.

In this case, the antiquated 1890s greystone was renovated by Kenwood Construction Services with ZeroEnergy Design providing Passive House Consulting and Mechanical Design. The Passive House EnerPHit certified project is an excellent example of the renovation possibilities for an aging, residential masonry building. It proves that families who wish to live in a sustainable city home need not be limited by the age of the building nor do they have to compromise on style, space or comfort.

The Ellis Passive House was also recently featured on the Treehugger website for its impressive performance throughout the past winter.

MORE: PASSIVE HOUSE DATABASE | ZED CASE STUDY

Architect Stephanie Horowitz to Present Net Positive Project at BSA COTE Event

Stephanie Horowitz AIA, Managing Director at ZeroEnergy Design, will present a net positive LEED Platinum certified project case study at a BSA COTE event on Wednesday June 19, 2019.

WHERE: Boston Society of Architects
BSA Space, 290 Congress Street, Boston, MA
WHEN: June 19, 2019, 6pm - 8pm
COST: Free & Open to the Public

Stephanie recently completed a term on the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee of the Environment (COTE) Advisory Group. COTE serves nationwide as the community and voice of AIA architects on sustainable design and aims to advance, disseminate, and advocate design practices that integrate built and natural systems and enhance both the design quality and environmental performance of the built environment.

Mark Doughty, President of Thoughtforms Corporation, was the contractor and collaborated on the project. Mark will co-present the case study to the COTE audience.

Two LU/HSW AIA credits are available.

MORE: COTE NET POSITIVE PRESENTATION

Lincoln Net Positive Farmhouse Featured in Inhabitat

Top green architecture and home design website, Inhabitat, recently published a story on ZED’s Lincoln net positive farmhouse in Lincoln, Massachusetts. Designed and built in collaboration with Thoughtforms Corporation, this 2,800 sq. ft. modern farmhouse was inspired by the traditional farmhouses found in that area and proves that families can lead healthy, low-carbon lifestyles without compromising on style, space or comfort.

While flexible and spacious open-concept living areas provide plenty of space for the family to live, work, play and entertain, a high-performance design ensures low energy consumption and superior thermal comfort throughout the year. In addition to the 13.1 kW array of solar roof panels that produce more energy than required, the home also features plenty of other green amenities such as high-efficiency appliances, root cellar, and planning for rainwater catchment.

The Lincoln Net Positive project has won several awards, including a BSA Award for Sustainable Design and Gold PRISM awards for Best Net Zero Passive House and Best Energy Efficient Project.

MORE: INHABITAT NET POSITIVE FARMHOUSE ARTICLE

ZED's Jordan Goldman to Present at Fine Homebuilding Summit

The Fine Homebuilding Summit, organized by the Fine Homebuilding magazine, along with Green Building Advisor and Keeping Craft Alive, will bring together dozens of industry experts, manufacturers, and influencers for an intense, collaborative learning experience this October.

In addition to providing a valuable forum for networking and exchange of ideas, the summit will also feature several insightful presentations from industry experts, including ZeroEnergy Design’s Jordan Goldman.

Jordan leads the mechanical design practice at ZED. He is a Certified Passive House Consultant, LEED Accredited Professional, and HERS Rater, and specializes in building envelope strategies, building science design, and mechanical system design, specification, and sizing for enhanced energy performance.

Jordan’s session at the Fine Homebuilding Summit will focus on HVAC for High-Performance Houses.

WHERE: Southbridge Hotel and Convention Center, Southbridge, MA
WHEN: October 2-4, 2019

Preregistration for the summit is currently open. We hope to see you there!

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Greenport Passive House featured in Inhabitat

Popular green architecture and home design website, Inhabitat, just published an article on the Greenport Passive House, designed and built by architect Wayne Turett of The Turett Collaborative. ZeroEnergy Design’s Jordan Goldman provided Passive House Consulting and Mechanical Design for this project.

The airtight dwelling was created in alignment with the Passive House standard, which focuses on the building envelope and passive solar gain to achieve exceptionally low energy consumption and operational carbon footprint. In addition to the airtight building envelope and continuous insulation, the all-electric home features a ducted air source heat pump for heating and cooling and an energy recovery ventilation system for fresh, filtered indoor air.

MORE: INHABITAT

ZED's Stephanie Horowitz to Speak on Luxury Home Design Summit Panel in May

New England Home Magazine is co-producing the Luxury Home Design Summit at the Chatham Bars Inn Resort and Spa in Chatham, MA, from May 19-21, 2019.

The conference will offer high-level business content and networking for leaders of the luxury home design and construction industry in New England.

Architects, interior designers, landscape architects and designers, builders, contractors, showroom owners, and suppliers in the luxury home niche will have the opportunity to develop a stronger understanding of their market and community through face-to-face access to leading experts on innovation, affluent consumers, effective leadership, and maximizing performance.

ZED Managing Director Stephanie Horowitz will participate in the New England Powerhouse Panel discussion on May 21.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 21, 2019, 2:30-3:15 PM
WHERE: CHATHAM BARS INN RESORT AND SPA, CHATHAM, MA

The panelists include prominent design professionals in the talent-rich New England landscape who have risen to the top relying on their talents while successfully navigating key inflection points in their businesses. Kyle Hoepner, Editor-in-Chief of New England Home, will lead the panelists through the discussion as they share behind-the-scenes moments that contributed to their success.

We hope to see you there!

MORE: LUXURY HOME DESIGN SUMMIT, REGISTRATION

Stephanie Horowitz on Architecture Trends for New England Home

From herringbone patterns in tile work to oversized lift-slide doors to outdoor living, the latest edition of the annual New England Home Style Survey has answers to architecture, building and design questions.

Every year, the magazine interviews top residential building and design professionals across New England to find what’s trending hot and what’s on the decline.

We are thrilled to announce that ZED’s Managing Director, Stephanie Horowitz, was one of the experts interviewed.

View the survey below!

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ZeroEnergy Design Submits 2018 Data for AIA 2030

2018_AIA-2030 Data.jpg

ZeroEnergy Design recently submitted project data for 2018 to the AIA 2030 Design Data Exchange, reporting an impressive 92.6% reduction in pEUI savings across its architectural portfolio. Last year, ZED reported an 88.7% reduction and was one of the only 10 firms nationwide that achieved the AIA 2030 goal of 70% pEUI savings across their entire design portfolio.

The AIA 2030 Commitment program supports the AIA 2030 challenge, which calls for all new buildings, developments, and major renovations to be carbon-neutral by the year 2030, and offers architects a way to publicly show their dedication and track their progress.

Since 2010, architectural firms in the Commitment have been tracking and evaluating the performance of their design projects over each calendar year. The data, collected via the 2030 Design Data Exchange (DDx), includes the type of building, area, baseline energy performance, and predicted energy performance. In 2017, 2030 Commitment participants saved 17.8 million metric tons of CO2, which is equivalent to the carbon that would be sequestered by 21 million acres of forest.

ZED’s continued commitment to sustainable design and energy efficiency is reflected in its excellent year over year performance. This is the ninth consecutive year the firm has achieved the targeted 70% carbon reduction.

The 2018 Summary is expected to be released during the summer of 2019. In the interim, the 2017 report is available.

MORE: THE 2017 SUMMARY OF THE AIA 2030 COMMITMENT

ZED's Net Positive Farmhouse featured in Houzz Earth Day Tour

Popular online architecture and interior design website, Houzz’s tour of seven low-carbon, energy-efficient homes in celebration of Earth Day 2019 features ZeroEnergy Design’s Net Positive Farmhouse in Lincoln, Massachusetts.

With plenty of functional and flexible family-friendly spaces to live, work, play and entertain, a guest suite on the first floor for comfortable aging-in-place, planned rainwater catchment, high-efficiency appliances, root cellar, and edible plantings, this modern home proves that families do not have to compromise on style, space or comfort to live in a healthy, energy-efficient home.

A super-tight building envelope and a well-designed mechanical system ensure that this all-electric home uses 70% less energy than comparable code-built homes, while photovoltaic panels on the roof produce more energy than needed, making it net positive.

ZED and Thoughtforms Corporation designed and built this home in collaboration. The LEED Platinum project won a Sustainable Design Award from the Boston Society of Architects at the 8th annual BSA Design Awards Gala in January 2019. It previously won a Gold PRISM award for Best Net Zero/Passive House and Best Energy-Smart Home from Fine Homebuilding magazine.

MORE: HOUZZ TOUR OF 7 ENERGY-EFFICIENT HOMES

New Case: Modern Oceanfront 'Forever Home'

ZeroEnergy Design is pleased to release a case study in exceptional green modern architecture and mechanical design: the Dartmouth Oceanfront Residence in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

Nestling within a coastal New England setting, this modern home takes advantage of the site’s natural topography and stunning ocean views - providing the homeowners with the perfect home to entertain in style, showcase their love for art, and enjoy comfortable low-carbon living.

A super-tight building envelope, carefully-designed HVAC systems, and concealed exterior shades lower energy consumption and ensure year round thermal comfort, while a photovoltaic system on the roof generates almost enough energy to offset the home’s energy consumption. Covered outdoor spaces, charging ports for electric cars, and accessibility features add to this ‘forever home’ that will allow the owners to comfortably age in place.

The project won a PRISM Gold Award for Best Single Family Home at the 2018 Annual PRISM Awards Gala.

MORE: DARTMOUTH CASE STUDY