One of the many new standards that are elevating green practices, Passivhaus originated in Germany; it focuses on a structure’s envelope and interior health. This Container Houses, just north of Paris, is the second-most-recognized passive house in France.
It has no heating system, instead relying on home orientation, sturdy prefabricated wood panels, bamboo siding and an industrious design to stay warm. The large windows of the bedrooms face south to capture sunlight, while the north side, with fewer windows, prevents heat from escaping.
This cabin’s shed roof serves the dual purpose of shuffling off snow in the winter and allowing ventilation in the summer. Constructed offsite in panels, the roof was stacked and shipped to the site, where the onsite construction had already begun. Since half the construction occurred onsite and half occurred in a factory, the home is considered a prefab hybrid, incorporating best construction practices from both prefab and stick-built techniques.
Natural light dominates this glass house, reducing the need for daytime lighting and allowing ample opportunity for solar heating. It also features a Trombe wall, a southward-facing wall that receives direct sun (in the Southern Hemisphere, Trombe walls face northward). The wall absorbs heat in warm temperatures and has vents at the top and bottom that can be adjusted to cycle air and release heat during warm weather.
The view pictured, from the stairs looking toward the library, shows the second floor of the home and the top of the Trombe wall, where the vents can be opened to increase airflow.
Built on a hillside adjacent to an ancient fortress, the Cliff House, while modern, uses Prefab House design cues from the historical structures that surround it. The terra-cotta color of the siding is the same color as one wall of the neighboring fortress, and the natural larch exterior was inspired by the German tradition of timber siding.
