Student Residences in Passive House: Scaling Challenges & Insights

PHA Live CT rectangle   Marine Sanchez

Marine Sanchez joins our September Construction Tech edition to present the challenges and successes of the construction of the first generation of PH student residences in North-America (including the University of Victoria's and Toronto's projects). Her focus is on the construction phase of these projects, to highlight the changes in construction processes and challenges encountered when scaling up Passive House to large complex buildings. Topics include discussions on air leakage tests, thermal bridging tracking, submittal processes, ventilation commissioning, alongside general construction challenges that have surfaced and approaches used to mitigate them. These topics are reviewed from an energy modelling standpoint, understanding their interdependency through the rigorous energy budget management required to deliver Passive House buildings.

As part of North America’s highly experienced PH professionals, Marine leads RDH’s Passive House services. She focuses on the design of large-scale institutional and mixed-use projects, channeling her passion and expertise to drive climate action within our industry. Her role includes developing PH designs on leading-edge typologies (such as commercial kitchens), guiding site teams new to PH towards successful delivery. She also supports government in implementing carbon reduction policies, while serving on the Passive House Canada board and the City of Toronto Climate Advisory Group.