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We recently reached out to Zola Windows General Manager Evan Anderson to speak with him about why Zola has been a sponsor of the Accelerator for the last five years, how the industry has changed in that time, and where he thinks it’s going. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Passive House Accelerator: When our founder, Mike Ingui, first told you about the mission of the Accelerator and asked you about joining as a sponsor, what was your reaction?
Evan Anderson: I believed in the idea. Having worked on a number of projects with Mike in the past and knowing him and knowing the same people—I think those are some of the things that kind of set it apart from other Passive House groups. There’s also an alignment of goals between his vision and our vision. There's a commitment to promoting energy efficiency and overall sustainability in building design, whether it's residential or commercial.
I also always got a sense from Michael and his crew at Baxt Ingui that we share a sense of corporate social responsibility in supporting Passive House building standards. It's a demonstration of his commitment to environmental stewardship, really, and I think we both share that. So, I think knowing him and what he stands for and what he's all about—that’s one of the main reasons we knew we’d align with the Accelerator.
PHA: Since the Accelerator launched in 2019, how have you seen the Passive House movement grow? (Beyond the fact that you can now say “Passive House,” and people will actually know what you're talking about.)
Anderson: It's gotten a lot broader in terms of adoption and scale. When I started with Zola, which was back in 2013, Passive House used to be small, kind of niche projects, but now they're mainstream. There are still those small, niche projects, but it’s also larger family homes, it's commercial buildings, it's multifamily housing retrofits. It just demonstrates the scalability of that standard and the Passive House principles.
That has happened, in part, because of the help and support from local governments and municipalities. Their policies and new regulations are promoting more energy efficient building measures and more sustainable building practices.
I've also seen a big change in our community. I think the Passive House and high-performance building network has really done a lot to grow. There are more groups, conferences, podcasts, online forums, and collaborative projects. It doesn't matter what organization you're with—that collaboration and cooperation has fostered some really vibrant communities across the country, and that just expands knowledge sharing, innovation, and ideas.
This is all helping Passive House move into the mainstream. I probably meet with five or six people each week in our Seattle showroom and, more often than not, they're interested in Passive House—not necessarily in certifying all the way through, but definitely the principles. Whether it's going to be a Passive House or not, certified or not, we always look at every project like we're going to employ the principles of the window package as we would on a Passive House. Everybody is at least interested in talking about it and seeing if it's going to be a good fit.
PHA: Being on the West Coast, which has experienced some pretty smoky summers because of wildfires, are more customers expressing an interest in Passive House because they want a more airtight home with better indoor air quality?
Anderson: I think it's a big draw. I also think it's interesting when people ask me, “Why would I do Passive House?” Well, with Passive House, you don't have a lot to look at, right? It's not like a LEED building where you can go in and you see all these cool gizmos. You might be able to show them your awesome HVAC system in a Passive House or your climate control stuff, but everything else is hidden in the walls. It's hidden in the details. You don't get to see anything, so comfort is the primary driver. I mean, nobody wants to be breathing in crappy air. Nobody wants to feel drafty and cold in their house—or too hot. I think it’s the better indoor air quality, as well as a general sense of just wanting a healthier place to live and work in.
PHA: Where do you see high-performance building going in the next five or ten years?
Evan: I think the demand for better buildings will increase, and I think that stems from beating the drum of energy efficiency, sustainability, and how poorly the built environment has been designed up until fairly recently. That has increased awareness. I also think regulatory pressure will continue to grow. Building codes and energy efficiency standards are going to be more stringent, requiring better performing buildings and components—windows included.
But I think the big change is going to be the increase in the number of retrofits, especially in places like New York City. There are all those buildings, and they have to be brought up to something resembling efficiency. We're going to have to play catch up in all those older structures, so high-performance retrofits is going to be huge. Luckily, there are some really strong incentives available. The cost of doing these retrofits is becoming more attractive as well, so why not do it?
The exterior of Accord Passive House, which has been outfitted with Zola windows and doors.
The interior of Accord Passive House.
The interior of Accord Passive House.
About Zola
Designed in Colorado and manufactured in Europe, Zola’s high-performance windows & doors grace North America’s top Passive House buildings: from historic NYC brownstone retrofits to Rocky Mountain ski chalets to affordable multifamily buildings. Zola's offerings take full advantage of the superior low iron glass available in Europe and the German engineering that makes effortless operation of big units possible. We specialize in tilt and turn windows, lift slide doors, BreezePanel™ folding walls, American Heritage SDH™ simulated double hung windows, and a full line of Passive House entry doors. Available in clad wood, aluminum, uPVC, and wood frames.
All photographs courtesy of Zola Windows.