Passive House Weekly: May 30, 2022

May 30, 2022

Please read on for a selection of Passive House happenings, articles, interviews, and developments. The featured project above is the Phius certified Bicycle Passive House.

Do you have Passive House news that we should share in a future edition? Email us at: [email protected].

1. Passive House Week in Preview

TUES: Expanding Missing Middle Housing Solutions Summit

At our May 2022 Expanding Missing Middle Housing Solutions Summit, four housing specialists will share their collective experience creating a range of middle density, high efficiency, and Passive House projects in single family and transitional neighborhoods. Take advantage of their expertise in providing more affordable housing options and learn about ways to sidestep the challenges presented in creating high efficiency housing for the “middle.” We will be joined by moderator, Timothy McDonald (Onion Flats), as well as the following presenters: Bryn Davidson (Lanefab), Dylan Lamar (Cultivate, Inc.), Julie Klump (Preservation of Affordable Housing), Liz Hauver (Placetailor). Register now

WED: A Developer’s Perspective: Transforming Communities with Passive House

Chicago based developer AJ Patton (548 Capital and The Solar Chicago Fund) is currently working on two different mixed use Passive House projects which, upon completion, will be the largest and second largest Passive House projects in the city’s history. He will be joined by the two project architects, Lesley Roth (Lamar Johnson Collaborative) and Douglas Farr (Farr Associates). Their presentation will showcase the two projects, and cover how to interface with local jurisdictions, create inclusive project teams, create above-market returns and transform communities all while positively impacting the environment. Get the Zoom link

NOW LIVE: Episode 89 of the Passive House Podcast

Matthew interviews Jamie Harte, architect and Certified Passive House Designer at PUBLIC in Vancouver, BC about his Passive House journey, his work on the UBC Skeena Student Residence, and his current project, Vienna House. Listen here

NOW LIVE: Special Component Spotlight Episode

In this special Passive House Component Episode, Zack interviews Paul Grahovac and Pat Downey of PROSOCO, provider of the R-Guard system of fluid-applied air and water barriers since the early days of the North American Passive House movement. Paul and Pat share how the R-Guard system was originally an outgrowth of building rescue work, how PROSOCO worked with the International Living Future Institute to remove phthalates from their product chemistry in order to be included on the Bullitt Center project, and how a recent code-built high school in Washington State became an "Accidental Passive House" due to the Passive House-level of airtightness that was accidentally achieved by the project team after they applied PROSOCO's fluid-applied membranes. Listen here

THIS WEEK: Events In the Passive House Community

Passive House Accelerator Summit
Expanding Missing Middle Housing Solutions (May 31)

Smart Plus Academy
Passive House Q&A (May 31)

Passive House Accelerator LIVE!
A Developer’s Perspective: Transforming Communities with Passive House (June 1)

#BS Friday LIVE
Save Energy and Build Smart with Hugh from Partel (June 3)

2. Featured Article of the Week

Vladimir Pezel could not get comfortable in his apartment. During the summer months, the heat was torturous. During the winter months, his heating system would fail to keep up. He often found himself shutting off the heat pump at night, because it would just blow tepid air that would make him and his wife more uncomfortable while they slept. On particularly cold mornings, his toilet would freeze. Continue reading

THANK YOU To This Week's Featured Sponsor:

Visit Baxt Ingui Architects PC

3. New Videos

3D printing is currently one of the hottest topics in the construction industry, but media coverage on the technology is often filled with hyperbole, and over-promises. This presentation by Belinda Carr of Carr Builds will take you on a deep dive into the 3D printed home industry. Belinda Carr is a Building Science Researcher with a background in architecture and building information modeling (BIM). She runs a YouTube channel where she explores various topics on building science, products and technology.

Learn how the Passive House movement can channel Solarpunk's outrage AND optimism to build a future where people can thrive. Join Passive House Accelerator's Zack Semke in this four-part exploration of the climate crisis, the clean energy transition, and how buildings can play a starring role in halting climate change.

4. Upcoming Conferences

The Passive House Network: 2022 Passive House For All (June 10 & 17)
Efficiency | Equity | Electrification | Embodied Carbon. We must transform our built environment with integrated solutions. We know the basic ingredients: efficiency, equity, electrification, and embodied carbon. We have the know-how today. So let’s dive into the synergies and the specifics. Let’s get aggressive, grab all of these tools, and take radical holistic action to build a healthy prosperous future for all people before it’s too late. If you agree, join us in Boston and online. Learn more

Electri-fiction to Electrification: Overcoming Barriers (June 15)
At Urban Green Council's 2017 conference, the group noted that the path to electrification was cluttered with uncertainty, raising more questions than answers. In the past five years, we’ve gotten some answers (like when the right time to start electrifying is), seen dramatic shifts in policy, and made notable progress at the systems and grid level. But we haven’t seen wide-scale market adoption yet. This year’s conference tackles the remaining barriers holding us back, lessons learned from the few that have made the leap and how we can accelerate progress now. Use code ELECTRIFY for $10 off at registration. Learn more

Retrofit Canada Conference (June 23-24)
Following the great success of our first Retrofit Canada Conference in 2021, the first and only retrofit conference in Canada is coming back, stronger than ever this coming June 2022. The second annual Retrofit Canada Conference will focus on: Recent laws and regulations, inancing large scale retrofit projects, market trends and new technologies, project updates and investment opportunities, partnership models and sustainability. High-level decision makers from the government, key municipalities and authorities, project owners, facilities managers, financiers, sustainability experts, technology providers and consultants will all gather in one room to discuss all the above and more. Learn more

NetZeroBuild Summit (June 28 & 29)
NetZeroBuild Summit 2022 brings together the net-zero community in the Midwest to discuss challenges, opportunities, innovations, policy changes and other developments regarding net-zero design, energy, construction, materials and building operations. Learn more

PhiusCon 2022: Emissions Down, Power Up! (Oct 25-28)
PhiusCon is coming home to Chicago Oct. 25-28 at the historic Palmer House. Last year, Phius set its sights on expansion with its motto “Emissions Down, Scale Up!” and despite the obstacles presented by COVID, shared that vision with a sold-out crowd in Tarrytown, New York. PhiusCon 2021 created a wave of momentum, and Phius is looking to carry that into PhiusCon 2022 as it builds for the future. And you can’t talk about building for the future without mentioning electrification, so Phius decided to put a charge into this year’s motto: “Emissions Down, Power Up!” Learn more