In the Zone: What Would Goldilocks Say About This Messy Moment?

At a time of hockey sticks, tipping points, and the unforeseen, where do we stand with our work in buildings? Zack Semke shares lessons from the natural world, the clean-energy transition, and systems thinking to argue that we—builders, designers, and advocates for clean and resilient buildings—are in the right time and the right place to do what matters, while it matters most. This presentation is an adaptation of the keynote address Zack recently presented to the Passive House Massachusetts 2025 Passive House Symposium and the AIA College of Fellows Western Mountain Region Design Conference. You will learn: Understand how better building envelopes make the clean energy transition easier, by cutting winter peak loads, reducing system size, and letting electrification and renewables work faster and more reliably. Recognize how teams get better—and projects get cheaper—over time, and why repeating high-performance approaches like Passive House leads to lower costs, simpler details, and better outcomes at scale. Design buildings that protect people when things go wrong, using airtightness, ventilation, and material choices to keep occupants safe and comfortable during power outages, heat waves, cold snaps, and wildfire smoke. Zack Semke directs the Passive House Accelerator, hosts the Reimagine Buildings Collective, co-hosts the Passive House Podcast, and is a member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps. For more than fifteen years, he’s been telling the story of how better buildings can slow climate change and strengthen community resilience—while building community around that mission. Named a New York Build Construction Idol in 2023, Zack spends his spare time learning to sail the Salish Sea from his homeport in Seattle—dreaming of family voyages among the San Juan Islands.