Field Evaluation: Weingarten House
Project Summary
Located in Rappahannock County, Va., the Weingarten House is being constructed as a sustainable energy-efficient dwelling. The bearing wall structure will be constructed of a dry-stack soil-cement brick using “Terra Brick” a precision interlocking compressed earth system produced by the “Green Machine.” The house is a 2,000 square foot, one and one-half story house, designed by John Spears of the Sustainable Design Group. Several PATH technologies are being incorporated into the house for monitoring and evaluation of costs and performance by the NAHB Research Center, Wilson Engineering Services, the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS), and the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC).
The first floor is a concrete slab on an 18-inch thick layer of sand, a 2-inch thick layer of foam board insulation, on sand and undisturbed soil.
Heating and cooling are provided by a geothermal heat pump, water-to-water system with fan coil for cooling, and hot water for radiant floor heating system. There are three layers of cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) plastic tubing in the floor system for heating and cooling; one layer is in sand under the insulation layer, the second layer is in the center of the 18-inch sand layer, and the third layer is in the concrete slab.
Walls were constructed of 8-inch Terra Brick, with 2- to 4-inch thick exterior soy-based foam board insulation, with stucco on exterior, and plaster on interior. Windows and glass doors will have low-e double-pane glass, and doors will be insulated.
