Tim McDonald on Making Multifamily Passive House a Reality

Tim McDonald Onion Flats

This presentation was recorded on October 8th, 2019 for the Passive House Rocky Mountian monthly online roundtable, a regular event typically on the first Tuesday featuring a wide range of speakers and topics related to Passive House and low carbon buildings.

The goal of Zero Carbon Multifamily starts with Passive House

Tim McDonald is the President and CEO of Onion Flats LLC and is a licensed architect in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In 1997, with his brother Patrick, he co-founded Onion Flats LLC; a Philadelphia based real estate development/design/build firm.

Tim shares his experience completing Passive House Certified multifamily buildings in Pennsylvania, which is leading the country in developments at high density and with affordability for residents. Tim provides insight into optimizing design of multifamily buildings for Passive House certification — from the form factor to the mechanical systems, as well as the economics of his buildings from the developer perspective.

Onion Flats Architecture specializes in sustainable design and building practices and has produced multiple LEED & Passive House Certified projects. Onion Flats has been practicing in Philadelphia as developers, architects and builders since 1997. Their work has been published widely and has won national and international awards, focusing on innovative solutions for highly sustainable urban communities, including some of the first LEED & Passive House Certified projects in the region.

Author: Andrew Michler