GO Logic Homes of Belfast Awarded Contract for Passive Solar Residence Hall at Unity College

Unity, Maine – October 4, 2010 –  Unity College has announced that GO Logic Homes of Belfast, Maine has been awarded the contract for the design of a one-of-a-kind residence hall on an American college campus.

GO Logic Homes will design a Unity College residence hall to the Passive House standard. If the construction achieves the standard, it will be the first Passive House residence hall constructed on a college or university campus in the United States, confirm officials at the Passive House Institute US of Urbana, Illinois.

In June, Unity College was awarded a grant from The Kendeda Fund to construct a “cottage style” residence based on principles of passive house design.  The project entails an educational component involving Unity College students in the design, construction, and monitoring of the facility through curricular and co-curricular activities.

The Passive House residence hall will use sunlight to generate energy with using little or no active mechanical systems.  Sunlight will be converted into usable heat.

“It is great to be working with Unity College, a widely recognized leader in environmental stewardship,” noted Matthew O’Malia, GO Logic Architect and two time New England American Institute of Architects Design Excellence Award winner. “Designing and building a college residence hall to the Passive House standard is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate what is now possible in energy efficient design and construction.”

O’Malia added that the project will create a template for other colleges and universities to follow.

“Not only is the Passive House standard at the very leading edge of the ‘what’s next’ for college and university campus construction, but this project is taking the concept one step further by involving students in all aspects of the project,” O’Malia added.  “The fact that the completed residence hall will not only house students but provide opportunities for sustainability curricular and co-curricular educational programming is another aspect that makes this a potentially transformative project.”

“The direct involvement of college students in the design and construction of green student housing is a paradigm shift,” noted Robert Constantine, Vice President for College Advancement at Unity College. “We will create a new model for how colleges and universities approach not only how they construct structures on their campuses, but in how they conceive of them.”

Constantine also pointed out that the project is intended to be an educational model of sustainability, with classes using the completed residence as a living laboratory.  He added that there will also be a permanent public educational component for the hall.

The Passive House standard in the United States is an extension of the PassivHaus Institute of Germany.  Passive House standard utilizes super insulation and tight air sealing to minimize heat loss.  There are strict standards applied to Passive House regarding energy use intensity per square foot and air changes per hour that surpass other energy performance ratings.

“It's ‘passive’ in that this design relies primarily on the solar gain and thermal efficiency for effective space heating,” said Constantine.  “Only secondarily -- and often minimally -- does a Passive House rely on active energy systems.”

Unity College is a campus focused on sustainability and is home to Unity House, the first LEED Platinum, net-zero campus residence of a college President in the United States.  It is home to Unity College President Mitchell Thomashow and his wife, Cindy.

Unity College is a small private college in rural Maine that provides dedicated, engaged students with a liberal arts education which emphasizes the environment and natural resources. Unity College graduates are prepared to be environmental stewards, effective leaders, and responsible citizens through active learning experiences within a supportive community.

Victory for Environmental Activists from Unity College: