South Sound Green Tour

On Saturday, May 19th, we are excited to participate in the 2018 South Sound Green Tour with an Open House of our latest sustainable energy efficient Passive House.  Named Madison Passive House, this privately owned home is part of this free-to-the-public celebration of local sustainability and will be open to tour from 11am-5pm.  

Free admission tickets to the event are available online through ssgreentour.org.

Madison Passive House

The Green Tour will be a wonderful opportunity to meet and speak with members of The Artisans Group, Zola Windows and Beech Tree Woodworks at this incredible Passive House.

Designed and built by our award winning team, Madison Passive House embraces its established Olympia neighborhood through a welcoming and sustainable design.

Inspired by a love of Olympia, it’s an urban home that’s both respectful of the neighborhood’s history and the community’s future.  Madison Passive House compliments the unique architecture of its thriving neighborhood while simultaneously employing advanced building science to help protect Olympia’s future by pushing the envelope on sustainability.  

So energy efficient that sunlight, heat from appliances, and body heat keep the home warm throughout the winter while still avoiding being overheated during the summer, Madison House approaches sustainability by cutting unnecessary wasted energy and taking the long term view of a healthy home.  

• Triple pane energy efficient Zola windows help provide the health benefits of natural light without overheating or drafty spots in the home.
• An integrated HRV system (Heat Recovery Ventilator) continuously provides fresh filtered air and consistent temperatures throughout the home which drastically increases the Indoor Air Quality and comfort.  
• A thoughtful approach to Aging In Place and Universal Design principles mean the home elegantly works for our clients as their needs change.
• Custom cabinets, live edge walnut table and benches built by local wood artists Beech Tree Woodworks.
• Flex space for easy conversion into a second bedroom.
• 14” thick exterior walls that are insulated and sealed to keep this home at the peak of energy efficiency.
• High quality and durable materials mean the home is built to inspire and last.    

Madison House encourages and accommodates a healthy and active urban lifestyle of walking and biking. It’s a home that responds to the unsustainability of so many disposable parts of our modern culture by working for the long term and a healthy future.          

Tessa Smith, our co-principal and lead architect says, “Madison House is about using the most advanced building science available, putting it together with modern design, and creating a home that’s sustainable, healthy for the people who live in it, and inspires continued evolution of lifestyle.”

2018 South Sound Green Tour  

The 2018 South Sound Green Tour is a free self-guided tour that gives you the chance to experience the best examples of sustainable green living that the South Sound has to offer.  

Put on by the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild, it’s a great opportunity to celebrate the progress of local efforts in sustainability by seeing the work in person, and speaking with the people who are working so hard to make it happen.

The 2018 South Sound Green Tour is two days in May:

Saturday, May 19th - Olympia, WA - 11am-5pm

Sunday, May 20th, Tacoma, WA - 11am-5pm

Olympia Green Tour

We’re honored to be part of this year’s Olympia portion of the Tour, and we highly encourage you to visit the other sites around town.  

The Green Tour is a fantastic opportunity to speak with local experts in sustainability who can help provide you with information.  With projects as diverse as:

• a local community park (West Central Park) that features extensive use of permeable paths and parking, urban beekeeping, low water gardening, rain gardens, composting and more!
• A sneak peak at Olympia’s newest Bed & Breakfast, the Marie Bed and Breakfast, built in the lovingly restored historic Queen Anne style McIntyre home.
• A tour around Olympia’s newest beautiful event space in the Swantown Inn’s new addition to their historic Victorian style Bed & Breakfast.
• A look at a great local story, the Calliope Ecological Farmhouse, a home designed and built around natural materials, even using clay-straw and cork insulation.  Local experts from ION EcoBuilding and ShelterWorks will be on hand to talk about building with natural materials.
• Several solar projects by South Sound Solar.
• The South Bay House by Scott Homes, an essentially Net-Zero home here in Olympia
• And more!

It’s an exciting time to be part of the sustainable design and construction community here in Olympia, and we look forward to talking with you on the 2018 South Sound Green Tour!

If you have any questions about the Olympia Green Tour, or the Madison Passive House, please feel free to Contact Us.