Peabody Architects

A House in EcoVillage

Green Design + Good Design = LEED Silver

Making an informed decision about where and how to live was a priority for this couple. They chose EcoVillage — a co-housing community with an emphasis on sustainable design — in Loudoun County, Virginia, as the place to build their home.

We produced this design as a prototype that could be adapted to the varying needs of EcoVillage families and the differing EcoVillage site conditions. It is designed to be traditional and simple, and sit handsomely in the surrounding landscape, while meeting EcoVillage’s strict environmental requirements for building systems, materials, orientation, and window placement.

The three bedroom house takes the form of a traditional farmhouse, with porches and decks on three sides. It is sited to maximize natural ventilation and passive solar heating. While the exterior is traditional, the inside has a more modern plan, with kitchen, dining, and living all open to one another. A complete walk-out basement houses a separate apartment.

Sustainable features include SIPS (structural insulated panels) walls and roof, shipping container for off site recycling of 95% of construction waste, geo-thermal heating and cooling, Energy Star appliances, low-e windows, recycled rubber roofing, low maintenance cementitious siding, weatherproof plastic lumber from recycled plastic, eucalyptus flooring, recycled glass tiles, and non-toxic materials and finishes. South facing windows are protected by awnings and a planted pergola roof.

This house is the first project in northern Virginia to receive a LEED rating from the LEED for Home pilot program. It is also certified as an EarthCraft House. The LEED rater had this to say about our drawings!

This project was completed in the fall of 2007.