ICF Passive House

RIVER FOREST, IL

This is the first certified Passive House in the Chicago area, built by Biltmore Insulated Concrete (thermal shell) and Evolutionary Home Builders (GC). TBDA acted as architect and Passive House consultant, performing the rigorous calculations in conjunction with the spatial, structural, mechanical, and esthetic design considerations. Cadmium Interiors selected interior finishes and furniture.

Passive Houses have inherently good indoor air quality due to the continuous ventilation and condensation-proof thermal shell, but we took this to the next level by becoming a pilot project for the Healthy Homes Initiative. All construction materials, finishes, paints, adhesives, caulks, etc., were selected to be non-toxic (i.e., no-added-formaldehyde cabinet construction), using Greenguard as a standard where possible.