Our FAQs

• What were the specific guidelines for the ENGR 113 Project?
• To design a sustainable and healthy building that has a low ecological footprint
• Consider carbon emissions, indoor air quality, lighting, and thermal comfort
• The building should be net-zero energy over a year in a location with a variable climate
• Why build a tree house?
• Unique residential design
• Produces an interesting challenge
• How big is your building?
• A little under 900 square feet
• What is a net-zero building?
• The energy consumption over a year is roughly equal to the amount produced by renewable sources.
• What is Passivhaus?
• Passivhaus is a set of standards set to judge whether a building can be considered a sustainable structure
• Guidelines include:
• Space Heating- cannot exceed 15 kWh annually
• Primary Energy Demand- cannot exceed 120 kWh/ square meter for all domestic applications
• Airtightness- maximum of 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals pressure
• How does the number of occupants affect the energy consumption of the building?
• Naturally, the greater the number of occupants for a building, the greater the energy consumption
• Since the energy consumption for a building is affected by the number of occupants, it is important that the building is able to provide sufficient energy
• What technical challenges emerge from this particular building design?
• Since our building is located within the trees and in an isolated location, several challenges emerge in terms of how the building will be sustained
• Why did you choose Jim Thorpe, PA for your tree house?
• We wanted to choose a location that is both isolated and still easily accessible
• Since the Poconos are a common location for buildings as such, where people will often visit to spend time in a more natural and isolated setting, it seemed to be the perfect location for our treehouse getaway
• We wanted to choose a location that would challenge us in terms of the HVAC system development
• Jim Thorpe is located alongside a flowing river, which we want to use to create energy with the water's current
• What environmental challenges emerge based off of the building's location?
• The weather presented a challenge when designing the treehouse. Since the location is in the Pocono mountains, it is colder and has a long winter season, so there is more heating needed throughout the course of the year.
• Since the building will be located in the trees, the trees' potential growth would have to be taken into account as to not damage the building or the trees.
• How much would this house cost to build?
• We did not take budget into consideration. However, we utilized lots of expensive and cutting-edge technology, so it can be assumed that this house would cost decently more to make than an average house of this size