Architecture Professor Emeritus Vidar Lerum practices what he preaches. Vidar’s “Fifth Maple” multi-family project has moved through Manistee Michigan’s building approvals and is ready for construction. These affordable residences are net zero, energy efficient homes with CERV2 smart ventilation controlling IAQ and comfort activities.
Vidar is an international expert in ventilation and comfort systems. He is author of “Sustainable Build Design: learning from nineteenth century innovations”, which documents how ventilation and comfort systems were incorporated into historic buildings….not as an afterthought, but as primary design features. Vidar’s beautiful photographs take readers on wonderful tours of St Petersburg Palace and other fantastic buildings, peering into building designers’ integration of form with function.
Build Equinox is excited to be included in the Fifth Maple project. The project is one that can be replicated throughout North America’s varied climate zones. Residential units can be added or subtracted as desired, with multiple 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom floor plans developed by Vidar.
The first floor includes open living, dining, and kitchen areas, with downstairs mechanical room, laundry/pantry, and kitchen coordinated for cost effective HVAC and hot water installation. A 1 ton ducted minisplit heat pump is integrated and controlled by the CERV2 smart ventilation system to deliver fresh air and comfort throughout the residence. A separate 1 ton ductless minisplit heat pump with concealed cassette in the kitchen cabinet wall adds upstairs/downstairs comfort zoning and comfort system resilience.
Vidar has designed multiple second floor configurations. Two of the configurations, a three bedroom configuration for a single household residence and a two bedroom “co-living” style residence, are shown in the floor plans below. In the co-living configuration, each bedroom has independent bathroom, laundry, and storage rooms.
The CERV2 and comfort management system, similar to the Taylorville High School net zero Pretty Good House project, continuously draws some return air through a first-floor laundry/pantry room into the adjacent mechanical room. Return air to the mechanical room is important for efficient heat pump water heater operation. Condensate lines from all mechanical units (CERV2, ducted mini, ductless mini, and heat pump water heater) are conveniently coordinated to a common drain. Two minisplit ODUs (outdoor units) are located together on the carport side with linesets and electric disconnects passing directly into the mechanical room. Vidar’s design minimizes supply and return ducting for economical installation.
The mechanical room is compact, as in the Taylorville project, while allowing each subsystem to be properly maintained. Unlike compacted “pods”, a plumber can address heat pump water heater and plumbing distribution problems, an HVAC contractor can access the two minisplit heat pumps and CERV2 unit, and an electrician can address solar PV inverter and other electrical issues.
We’re looking forward to visiting beautiful Manistee Michigan to see the Fifth Maple project as it becomes reality!
If you’d like to learn more, contact Vidar Lerum Architects:
vidar@vidarlerum.com, 217-840-0164
