First Passive House in Chicago Gets a Few Revisions
Last Updated: Feb 20, 2025Rodrigo and Corinna Lema were tired of their Chicago home. The 1950s Georgian was drafty, which meant "money out the window," says Rodrigo Lema, a software designer. Adds Corinna Lema: "Our dream was to find a house less dependent on oil and gas," but the couple couldn't find anything they liked. Other homes had too high a heating bill and did not even come close to the couple's energy objectives. The couple decided, finally, to build their own home.
They found architect Tom Bassett-Dilley, of Tom Bassett-Dilley Architects in Oak Park, a certified Passive House consultant. "We didn't set out to build a Passive House," Lema says, "but we wanted more energy efficiency in our home than we'd experienced in a previous house or while house shopping. Tom convinced us to take the passive house route. He sold us on how insulation, solar gain, and balanced ventilation would allow the house to take care of itself."
Table of Contents
- Passive House Principles
- A Passive House, Revised
- Healthy Home
- Passive House Recommendations
The house has insulated concrete form (ICF) foundations and walls, a wood truss roof with plywood barrier and suspended ceiling, and Zola Thermo triple-pane aluminum-clad windows. With the structure in place, Bassett-Dilley could model the home's thermal performance and calculate how much heat and cooling the house would need
He selected a Mitsubishi Electric split ductless system. The system includes a condensing unit outside the home connected via refrigerant pipes to a non-ducted air handler inside. The system also has inverter-driven compressor technology. The two Mitsubishi Electric Hyper-Heating (H2i®) systems—one on the first level, another in the master bedroom on the second floor—were considered sufficient to condition the entire house.
Camille LeFevre
Camille LeFevre is an architecture and design writer based in the Twin Cities.
