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Architects: Hemsworth Architecture
- Area: 1500 m²
- Year: 2014
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Photographs:Ema Peter
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Manufacturers: Optiwin, Structurlam, Zehnder
Text description provided by the architects. The BC Passive House Factory is an all wood construction demonstration project located in Pemberton, BC. Conceived as a simple, light filled, wooden box, the new 1500 sm facility is designed for the manufacturing of prefabricated ‘Passive House’ panels. The design, fabrication, and construction of the new facility exemplifies the client’s, BC Passive House (BCPH), mission in wood construction, prefabrication, energy efficiency, and sustainable design practice.
The main inspiration for the design came from the belief that the industrial, everyday buildings that make up a vast amount of our built environment can be just as important, and well considered, as our ‘public’ buildings. 360-degree clerestory windows provide natural daylight and views to the surrounding mountains. The exterior wood ‘2x4’ cladding acts as fixed screens for the clerestories and have been designed to provide a varied ‘openness’, offering greater solar shading on the south and west facades, while maintaining the stunning views to the surrounding mountains. The abundance of daylight on the exposed wood finishes transforms a typical factory floor into a warm, comfortable, and inviting space to work in.
The facility is the first of its kind in North America and will assist BCPH in their promotion of the Passive House Standard and sustainable, energy efficient, wood based construction.
