Fall 2018 Editorial
As Trump continues to gut environmental policies and Trudeau supports massive new oil pipelines to carry tar sands crude, at least we can take heart from the locales that are incentivizing or requiring Passive...
B.C.’s Energy Step Code: Driving Market Transformation
In 2017, British Columbia introduced the B.C. Energy Step Code—what might be North America’s most innovative beyond-code standard for energy efficiency.
Ventilation Options Expanding
High-performance ventilation choices expanded rapidly in 2018 with new products targeted specifically for airtight, efficient Passive House buildings.
Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre Passive Housing
Designed to bring affordability and community spirit to a small city on Vancouver Island’s east coast, Nuutsumuut Lelum provides 25 affordable suites for youth, elders, and families in three two-story Passive House buildings.
Chicago’s (and Illinois’) First EnerPHIT
When Mike Conners of Kenwood Construction Services, Incorporated, bought a foreclosed house in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, it was in pretty bad shape—and now it’s a net zero building.
Sol Lux Alpha—Carbon-Neutral Nanogrid
Sol Lux Alpha is the first Passive House certified multiunit nanogrid development in the United States. A nanogrid is a self-contained energy system that is islandable from the grid.
Waynflete Lower School
The new 23,000-ft2 Waynflete Lower School facility, designed and built to meet the Passive House standard, opened its doors this past August.
Cold Climate Passive Auto Dealership
In chilly Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, where the winter design temperature is –29°C (–20°F), constructing any type of Passive House building is a challenge.
The Carrick Library
Carrick will be North America’s first Passive House-certified library.
Wood Innovation Research Lab
The Masters of Engineering in Integrated Wood Design program at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) equips design and construction professionals with the knowledge needed to apply wood use, building science, and sustainable-...
Passive House Under the Radar
On the gradient between splashy and subtle Passive House projects, Blackstone Apartments, a 19-unit affordable housing development in Portland, Maine, falls so far toward the subtle end as to fall off the graph completely.
Affordable Multifamily Housing in Cambridge
Can a multifamily Passive House building be constructed for the same cost as a code-built building? According to architect and Certified Passive House Consultant Michelle Apigian of ICON Architecture, the answer is a resounding...
Nuthatch Hollow
Nuthatch Hollow is being designed to meet both the Passive House and the Living Building Challenge (LBC) standards.
Multifamily Moisture Control
Domestic moisture generation—moisture from human activity—is a major factor driving the humidity levels in our residential buildings, especially in superairtight Passive House construction.
California’s New Path to a Low-Carbon Future
In February of 2018, the city of Palo Alto released the groundbreaking report, Buildings Baseline Study and Roadmap for Zero Net Energy Buildings.
Flixo—A Learning Curve Worth Navigating
Flixo, two-dimensional thermal-modeling software that was recently developed in Europe, is relatively unknown in North America, but offers considerable promise for Passive House practitioners.
From Small to Extra Large: Passive House Rising to New Heights
From Small to Extra Large: Passive House Rising to New Heights New York Passive House 2018 Mayor Bill de Blasio has called climate change “the challenge of our generation,” and New York City has...