The four-storey, 42-unit Karen’s House, also known as Salus Clementine, represents the highest quality in affordable housing, having met the international Passive House standard.
Designed to serve people living with serious mental illness, this innovative residence was constructed in an established inner suburb of Ottawa to provide housing to people who would otherwise be homeless.
To eliminate potential thermal bridging from the ground, the foundation dispensed with conventional strip or deep footings in favour of a well-insulated proprietary raft slab, consisting essentially of a concrete slab encapsulated by a thick layer of EPS foam.
Passive House Metrics
Heating demand
15 kWh/m²a
Cooling and dehumidification demand
2 kWh/m²a
Primary energy
119 kWh/m²a
Air leakage
0.4 ACH₅₀
The above-grade walls used insulated wall panels composed of vertical I-joists infilled with EPS insulation and OSB sheathing secured to the exterior of the building frame, providing a total R-value of 34.6.
