SoLo House, Soo Valley, BC
Jury Comment: “This off -grid project provides an object lesson in how to address the imperatives of carbon neutrality, energy self-sufficiency, occupant health and more efficient, low-impact construction materials and methods: in short, how to future proof our built environment. Realized in a remote area, these lessons could nonetheless be applied in urban locations.“
SoLo house is a 380 sq.m, self sufficient, off-grid home with a 40 sq.m ancillary building, sitting lightly on a forested knoll overlooking the spectacular Soo Valley north of Whistler in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia.
Reflecting the client’s expressed intention to ‘Set a new benchmark for environmental performance, health and well-being’, SoLo is not a typical alpine home.
Rather, it is a prototype that demonstrates a unique approach to building off-grid in a remote environment where every choice has consequences. Challenging conventions in both aesthetics and construction, the prototype acts as a testing ground for low-energy systems, healthy materials, prefabricated and modular construction methods, and independent operations intended to inform the approach to larger projects.
The house includes living space and a master bedroom suite on the main level linked to a sauna and storage space in the adjacent ancillary building. The upper level includes two more bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Given the valley’s extreme climate, it was critical to have an ‘enclosure-first’ approach to ensure energy efficiency and outstanding comfort. A two-layer solution was used for the enclosure with an outer heavy timber frame acting as a shield against the weather, and the heavily insulated inner layer acting as the thermal barrier.
With the goal of eliminating fossil fuels and combustion, SoLo includes a photovoltaic array and a geo-change system, with a hydrogen fuel cell for backup energy storage. To avoid snow build up in winter, the PV array is mounted vertically on the south elevation. In addition, the house collects and treats its own drinking water and processes its waste water.
Because of the remote location and short construction season, modular building elements were fabricated off-site by a local contractor. This enabled quick erection of the building in the summer season while also minimizing the number of deliveries to the site and the amount of construction waste created.
Project Credits
- Owner/Developer Delta Land Developments
- Architect Perkins&Will
- Structural Engineer Glotman Simpson
- Mechanical and Electrical Engineer Integral Group
- Building Envelope Consultant RDH Building Science General
- Contractor Durfeld Construction
- Code Consultant GHL Consultants
- Photos Latreille Photography
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