As academic professionals focused on sustainability, the owners of the Wellfleet Modern Home wanted a green, energy-efficient home that was aligned with their values and could serve both as a vacation home and also provide rental income.
The modern design embraces and takes advantage of the sloping terrain with living spaces on both entry and lower levels, optimizes solar exposure, adds privacy, and makes efficient use of space.The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape.
The building envelope is super-insulated and airtight with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous, fresh air from the outside. High-performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a comfortable, draft-free winter. A properly-sized air source heat pump with a carefully-designed duct distribution system was installed to provide efficient heating and coolingand even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope helped significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled comfort.Lastly, a solar electric system on the roof offsets a majority of the annual energy consumption. The result is a home that uses 89% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements.
Photos by Eric Roth Photography