2X8 ADU
Ithaca, NY, USA
Proposed
While light frame wood construction has been the paradigm for generations of unsustainable construction, it also has the capacity for superior energy performance. Experimenting with alternative framing methods, 2X8 ADU seeks to achieve a high-performance design using low-cost materials. Intended to meet Passive House standards, it represents a small archetypal dwelling appropriate for a wide variety of sites across the Finger Lakes region in New York.
The final assemblies were tested at full scale in a prototype building. Advanced framing with 2x8 studs acted as the structure with blown cavity insulation and birch plywood on the interior and batt insulation and charred boards completing the facade. The rain screen was of particular interest, bookmatched burnt and oiled boards in an inverted board and batten arrangement. The completed prototype illustrates the potential for higher energy performance without the need for advanced technology, instead simply relearning how to build with standard materials.
with Frances Gregor
