Michigan Farmhouse

Last year, the solar farmhouse that homeowners Tom and Marti Burbeck and Fireside Home Construction designed in Ann Arbor, Mich., became the second house in the world to achieve Living Building Challenge certification through the International Living Future Institute, a Seattle- and Portland- based nonprofit. The certification focuses on “regenerative design,” meaning buildings that can output more than they intake.

Net positive for energy as well as water, the home features a 60-panel, 16.8-kilowatt rooftop solar array and a rainwater and snow harvesting system capturing runoff from the roof to supply 7,500-gallon in-ground cisterns. The house’s design process spanned three and a half years, followed by 18 months of construction and a year of performance auditing, during which the home produced nearly 30% more energy than it required to operate. In December of 2017, the home received full Living Building Challenge certification along with LEED Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Its design and siting pay homage to its function as a working farmhouse, and a key mission is to use permaculture farming methods to reverse the harsh impact that commodity farming practices have had on the 13 acres of land surrounding the farmhouse.

Last year, the solar farmhouse that homeowners Tom and Marti Burbeck and Fireside Home Construction designed in Ann Arbor, Mich., became the second house in the world to achieve Living Building Challenge certification through the International Living Future Institute, a Seattle- and Portland- based nonprofit. The certification focuses on “regenerative design,” meaning buildings that can output more than they intake.

Net positive for energy as well as water, the home features a 60-panel, 16.8-kilowatt rooftop solar array and a rainwater and snow harvesting system capturing runoff from the roof to supply 7,500-gallon in-ground cisterns. The house’s design process spanned three and a half years, followed by 18 months of construction and a year of performance auditing, during which the home produced nearly 30% more energy than it required to operate. In December of 2017, the home received full Living Building Challenge certification along with LEED Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Its design and siting pay homage to its function as a working farmhouse, and a key mission is to use permaculture farming methods to reverse the harsh impact that commodity farming practices have had on the 13 acres of land surrounding the farmhouse.