Millhaus

Millhaus takes its name from the former Cherry Mill property upon which it resides and from the Passive “Haus” building principles to which it is certified. The mill serves as a metaphor for the regional modernistic architectural expression. The Passive House approach was integral to the entire design and construction process with a goal to prove that Passive House design and a quality architectural expression could be wedded with one enhancing the other.

When one romantically thinks of mills, images of pure gable forms juxtaposed with industrial elements come to mind. Over the years, these forms often lose their purity when they are expanded upon-- sometimes the later additive elements form interesting compounds and sometimes they change the original stateliness to a more chaotic expression. In the case of Millhaus, the initial conception is expressed by a pure asymmetrical gable form with the asymmetry allowing clerestories on the south side of the form. This form then “expands” with additional asymmetrical gables connected via flat roof hyphens which emerge as shading devices on the south sides where they are supported by steel (industrial) elements. All of this creates the compound concept, but one that is ordered and intentional as opposed to random and by chance.

Needless to say, creating a “compound” would not generally be aligned with the Passive House principle of creating simple, often boxlike, forms. Thus, much effort was given to balancing architectural expression with performance results. Numerous forms and options were studied and energy modeled from the earliest conception through the beginning of construction drawings to ensure Passive House targets were achieved. This allowed the project to be fully certified although the form factor (the ratio of exterior skin to enclosed area) is higher than ideal.

The interiors further the mill metaphor, most notably including a “food crib” (pantry) enclosed in perforated steel in a bar steel frame. This takes its cue from the tool cribs that were often at the heart of old mills and enclosed in steel elements or other materials to secure tools. The interior palette includes the extensive use of authentic natural materials such as wood and used brick contrasted with industrial elements. The espresso bar area also incorporates traditional steel window frames, which the architect has always admired often used in old mills, but rather in a location that doesn’t compromise the thermal envelope the way traditional windows once did.

The project was constructed personally by the owner/architect and is intended to serve as a pioneering example of what is possible in the construction industry – the beautiful combination of elegant design, measurable high performance, responsibility to the planet, and of course being extremely comfortable and resilient for the occupants.