Located on the southern slope of a mountain overlooking the Willamette Valley’s rich wine region, Karuna House is a single-family Net Zero Energy home offering stunning views of Mt. Hood and the Cascade Range to the east

Designed by Holst Architecture, this home is an ambitious sustainable design project created to meet a combination of the world’s most demanding green building certifications.

In keeping with Passive House standards, the home’s insulation is designed to be airtight. Solar heat gain is controlled through the use of exterior operable blinds that shade triple-glazed windows, with onsite renewable power generation throughout.Karuna House kitchenJeremy Bittermann

Heating, cooling, and hot water are supplied by an efficient heat pump system, and a heat recovery ventilator provides the space with a continuous supply of fresh, preheated air. The home’s tight building enclosure ensures there is 90 percent less heating and cooling energy usage than the average home.

On the design front, the home is bright and airy, offering expansive views of the surrounding valley thanks to floor-to-ceiling glass windows and an open-concept layout. The ground floor in particular feels like “a big open loft”, and the kitchen, living and dining room spaces are all connected to each other.Karuna House living areaJeremy Bittermann

The project is the first MINERGIE-certified building in North America, earning the top rating of MINERGIE-P-ECO. Additionally, it has achieved Passive House PHIUS+, LEED for Homes Platinum, and Net Zero Energy by incorporating onsite solar panels.