In 2011, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History developed the PNC SmartHome, the energy-efficient house of the future. The challenge was to build a house designed to stay warm through a Cleveland winter without a conventional furnace. It was built in two months, opened to the public as part of a nationally touring Climate Change exhibit, and then moved to a permanent location near the museum and sold. As a result, thousands of people got a hands- on demonstration of cutting-edge green building techniques in a house that dramatically reduces carbon emissions. For the energy performance goal, the 2,800 square-foot SmartHome was designed to achieve Passive House certification, the world’s most rigorous building energy standard. Because of their very low energy demand, passive houses are a major step toward building carbon-neutral communities. • Give thousands of people hands-on experience with attractive techniques of green building • Build local capacity for better building design standards in Cleveland • Support efforts of community development organizations to help residents save energy • Broaden awareness of climate change impacts from buildings • Build a practical house that would be an asset for a Cleveland neighborhood THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Goals of the SmartHome TRANSFORM PNC SmartHome SmartHome was a symbol of how a museum of natural history can be a center for innovative thinking about science and sustainability.
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In 2011, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
developed the PNC SmartHome, the energy-efficient
house of the future. The challenge was to build a house
designed to stay warm through a Cleveland winter
without a conventional furnace. It was built in two
months, opened to the public as part of a nationally
touring Climate Change exhibit, and then moved to a
permanent location near the museum and sold.
As a result, thousands of people got a hands-
on demonstration of cutting-edge green building
techniques in a house that dramatically reduces carbon
emissions.
For the energy performance goal, the 2,800 square-foot
SmartHome was designed to achieve Passive House
certification, the world’s most rigorous building energy
standard. Because of their very low energy demand,
passive houses are a major step toward building
carbon-neutral communities.
• Give thousands of people hands-on experience with attractive techniques of green building
• Build local capacity for better building design standards in Cleveland
• Support efforts of community development organizations to help residents save energy
• Broaden awareness of climate change impacts from buildings
• Build a practical house that would be an asset for a Cleveland neighborhood
THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Goals of the SmartHome
T R A N S F O R M
PNC SmartHome
SmartHome was a symbol of how a museum of natural history can be a center for innovative thinking about science and sustainability.
The SmartHome followed these design principles which are
common in energy-efficient passive houses:
• Heat-retaining building shape: A simple, rectangular
shape minimizes the ratio of surface area to volume.
• Super insulation: Walls are more than a foot thick, and
packed with insulation to achieve R-50.
• High-performance windows: Triple-pane windows
achieve R-11, and close like a bank vault to stop drafts.
• Air-tight construction: All holes and seams in the building
perimeter were carefully sealed to achieve 0.6 air
changes per hour when measured by a blower door test.
• Thermal-bridge free construction: Design and insulation
eliminated heat conduction through the walls.
• Heat-recovery ventilation: The system for bringing
in fresh air warms incoming cold air with the heat of
exhaust air.
• Efficient HVAC: SmartHome is designed to maintain
temperatures like a Thermos. Heating demand is so low
that, instead of a furnace, a small, ductless air-source
heat pump provides supplementary heating and cooling.
• Passive solar and shading: Designed for a south-facing
lot to allow sunlight to enter and warm the house during
winter, but shaded during the summer.
• EnergyStar appliances and high efficiency LED lighting.
The results
• The project involved more than 100 partners including
contractors, suppliers, neighborhood groups, the city of
Cleveland, local artists and real estate professionals.
• The SmartHome design-build team conducted technical
workshops for local builders, architects, city officials and
home building industry professionals.
• City residents were invited to free tours and workshops
on home energy savings.
• CMNH staff worked with Enterprise Community Partners
on a tour and discussion with Cleveland neighborhood
groups about energy efficiency and affordable housing.
• Inspired by SmartHome, other building projects in
Northeast Ohio are now using passive design principles.
• The SmartHome generated national media attention.
• As an exhibit, the SmartHome was a hit. Nearly 10,000
museum visitors went on guided tours.
• And it is a permanent investment in Cleveland.
What is a Passive House?
More information
David Beach, director of the GreenCityBlueLake Institute, managed the project for the museum.
For more details, see: www.gcbl.org/projects/pnc-smarthome
Triple-pane windows are just starting to catch on in the U.S. but are a mainstay in Europe where passive houses number in the tens of thousands.
Green City Blue Lake INSTITUTE
1 Wade Oval Dr.Cleveland, OH 44106
216 231 4600www.gcbl.org© 2012 The Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Thick walls of insulation and air-tight construction greatly reduce energy demand of the SmartHome.
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