The spring 2023 issue of Passive House Accelerator magazine has sprung, and we are championing decarbonization! In this issue you’ll find loads of case studies that span North America, from the shores of California to the mountains of Montana and onward east to big cities like New York and small ones like Northampton, Mass. You’ll also find Mark Attard’s insightful article about living through the 2021 Marshall Fire and the real-world benefits of a Passive House retrofit, Lisa White’s in-depth piece on grid-interactive efficiency buildings, and a fascinating study by Skylar Swinford and Zack Semke that focuses on the upfront carbon costs of high-performance building. If you need inspiration, advice, or a little dose of hope about the future of buildings, look no further!
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Articles in this Issue
3/3/23
Massachusetts’ Embodied Carbon Challenge: A Template for Other States?
MassCEC is launching the Embodied Carbon Reduction Challenge, which will award a total of $320,000 in prizes to up to 10 projects.
12/16/22
Update to PHPP Is a Crowd Pleaser
An Imperial version of PHPP10, the most recent of the Passive House Institute’s energy modeling software, will be released at the beginning of 2023, giving U.S. practitioners the opportunity to enjoy the software's many improvements.
12/8/22
Panelized Retrofits Move from Concept to Construction
1660 Madison Avenue in New York City is an 11-story property owned and managed by L&M Development Partners that’s getting a low-carbon makeover, thanks in part to retrofit panels by DEXTALL.
3/3/23
New Tool for Assessing Upfront and Operational Emissions: No Passive House Emissions Backfire Found
Can passive building and building enclosure improvements increase total carbon emissions? Skylar Swinford and Zack Semke examine the data.
2/24/23
10 Steps to Designing your First Passive House
Michael Ingui discusses tips on how to embark on a Passive House project in a way that maximizes your chances of success, client satisfaction, and certification.
2/17/23
In Push to Reach Net Zero By 2046, Princeton Goes Passive
Princeton is building graduate student housing that will be certified by Phius with design partners Mithun and Thornton Tomasetti and development partner American Campus Communities (ACC).
12/9/22
A Home Rebuilt for Barcelona
Designed by Micheel Wassouf, principal of EnergieHaus, Barcelona's ShowPass is an EnerPHit project that comes close to achieving net zero energy use over the year with only a 2.6-kW PV system.
11/3/22
NYC Schools’ Electrifying Transformation
Last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched “Leading the Charge”, a $4 billion plan to combat climate change and create healthier learning environments for the city's students. Building electrification is a key element of the plan.
2/10/23
Big Developments in the Northwest
Tessa Bradley and Roussa Cassel of the Artisans Group talk about their new office, Cassel's new home, and a new neighborhood, which are all passive projects.
1/27/23
Building a Community That Gives Back
Developed by Live Give Play and Spiritos Properties LLC, 79 King Street is pursuing Phius+ 2018 certification and giving future residents the opportunity to connect with the community in a more dynamic and meaningful way.
2/3/23
Pebble Beach Passive
Rob Nicely of Carmel Building & Design and Bronwyn Barry of Passive House BB design and build a home that honors their clients' energy- and carbon-related goals—and along the way test out the new PHribbon.
1/13/23
Passive Sugar Shack to Achieve Net-Zero Carbon Emissions
Timber Trails co-owner Cody Koch has combined Passive House design, solar power, and state-of-the-art machines to create the first all-electric maple syrup in New York.
1/20/23
First Passive House Brings Challenges—and Benefits
Lloyd Minick of Austin-based Fortunate Foundations talks about the experience of building his first Passive House.