April 4, 2024

Lauren Thomsen Design Project Earns Phius Passive House Certification

Lauren Thomsen Design is excited to announce that the Northern Liberties Passive Rowhouse project completed in collaboration with Scribe Design Build has received Phius Certification.

Uniquely positioned on a tiny 36-ft deep by 19-ft-wide lot on the north side of Orkney Park in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia, this innovative new construction, single family residence is where ambitious, craft-driven design intersects with high performance.

Given the site’s urban context, the design team set out to construct a residence that not only solved the programmatic equation, but also was in dialogue with the open space to the south. The decision to set back a portion of the building from the property line provides a visual connection to the park and allows for glazing on the southern exposure and a small terrace off of the main living space. The modified massing also affords an opportunity for change in materiality, which pairs resilient corrugated metal with rich (and Pennsylvania sourced!) thermally modified tongue and groove oak siding. Despite the 18’ width and total of 1,675 sf of living space (not including the garage), the three bedroom, three bathroom home does not feel like a traditional rowhouse. The well lit and quiet interiors feel spacious, and evoke a rare sense of quiet and calm in an urban environment–all beautifully captured through photography taken by Archetype Photo.

The project received PHIUS+ 2018 Passive House certification and includes onsite battery storage. The envelope is highly insulated and air tight, built with an interior service cavity and 4” of continuous exterior insulation. The amount of glazing has been moderated to provide ample daylight but not an excessive amount of solar gain or thermal transmission. An electric car charger, smart energy panel, and home energy automation systems have been installed to allow for source control and continuous monitoring of energy production and utilization.

“The design and craftsmanship of the home was not sacrificed for performance efficiencies but rather strengthened by them, and the home aspires to be a model for individual commitment to energy resilience in the 21st century,” explains Lauren Thomsen, principal of LTD.

Phius Certified Projects have had their designs and energy models approved by the Phius Certification Staff, and have been inspected on-site by certified third-party quality assurance professionals trained by Phius to work on Phius projects. The rigorous Phius certification process ensures the building is designed and built to perform up to the targets determined by the climate-specific, cost-optimized Phius Standard.

“The entire project team contributed their respective expertise to make this passive house a comfortable, efficient, resilient reality for the homeowners and with two more passive house projects on the boards, we are excited by the direction this momentum is taking us in,” says Thomsen.

Project Team
Architecture: Lauren Thomsen Design
Interiors: Lauren Thomsen Design
Passive House Design Consultant: Matt Gindlesparger, CPHC
General Contractor: Scribe Design Build
Structural Engineering: Larsen & Landis
MEP Engineering: Mt. Weather Engineering
Geotechnical and Civil Engineering: Poulson & Associates
Photography: Archetype Photo

About Lauren Thomsen Design
Lauren Thomsen Design is a full-service, Philadelphia-based architectural design firm that specializes in craft-driven renovations and high performance new construction. Established in 2017, the award-winning LTD team believes in the value of space and is dedicated to creating unique, beautifully crafted, and lasting design solutions. Well-versed in managing complexity and executing ambitious ideas, LTD guides clients through the design process in a collaborative way where all entities feel seen and heard and the best possible outcome is achieved. With an extensive portfolio of projects that include a broad range of program and scale, LTD delivers contextually appealing and appropriate design solutions as every aspect is considered to define the unique story of each project.

About Phius
Phius is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting comfortable living for all and the well-being of the planet. This means driving down carbon emissions and working toward a net zero future. Phius works toward this goal by training and certifying professionals, maintaining the Phius climate-specific passive building standard, certifying and quality assuring passive buildings, certifying high-performance building products and conducting research to advance high-performance building.