In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Matthew Cutler-Welsh talks with Sharon Robinson of Smart Living Spaces. Sharon shares her journey from standard design work to advocating for high-performance, affordable housing. She talks about how rethinking client communication, redefining “standard plans,” and focusing on building science fundamentals like heat recovery, passive design, and smart construction systems can shift the industry.

https://www.smartlivingspaces.nz/

Reimagine Buildings '25 https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/events/reimagine-buildings-25

Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast Architect Nat Madson and structural engineer Lauren Piepho of HGA join us to talk about Barry Mills Hall and the John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies—Bowdoin College’s first mass timber buildings and the first of their kind in Maine. They share the story behind the design and construction, from early ideas sparked by the college’s pine-filled campus and carbon neutrality goals, to navigating mass timber systems, embodied carbon, and the buildings’ architectural dialogue with campus history.

Barry Mills Hall and the John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies: https://hga.com/projects/bowdoin-college-barry-mills-hall-and-center-for-arctic-studies/
Bowdoin College’s case study of the project: https://www.bowdoin.edu/news/2020/pdf/furthering-mass-timber-construction---hga---consigli---bowdoin-college-22.pdf

Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

In this episode of the hosts Mary James and Jay Fox sit down with Vincent Bergeron, an architect with Equipe A Architects in Quebec, to explore The Monarch—a groundbreaking social housing project in Sherbrooke. With 134 units guaranteed affordable for 35 years, this high-rise development is notable not only for its scale but for its ambitious pivot toward Passive House principles. Van shares how a tight timeline, a challenging site, and a collaborative team led to innovative choices in prefabrication, envelope design, and energy efficiency. Hear how a late-stage decision to pursue Passive House certification helped shape a healthier, more resilient living environment for low-income families, all while keeping costs in check.

https://equipea.ca/

In this seventh episode of The Reimagine Edit (TRE) series of the Passive House Podcast, host Zack Semke shares selected clips of insights from Jessica Grove Smith (Joint Managing Director of Passive House Institute), Mark Attard, Rainger Pinney, John Loercher, Galen Staengl, Mike Fowler, Cait Eggers, Sean Velez, Nidhi Shaw, and Lloyd Alter.

Quotes:

"Walking off the ferry in Seattle and ashes falling out of the sky—that changes your perspective. The same thing with the heat dome and with COVID. These events over the last seven to eight years have reshaped how I think and approach design and architecture, and now my focus is on resilience." — Mike Fowler

"If you touch any one single component, make sure you go all the way. That’s the only way you’re going to future-proof your building and have a long-lasting carbon emission impact." — Jessica Grove-Smith

"It’s very clear that what typologies get built follow where there’s grant money. Developers are happy to build anything as long as it comes with a little extra funding—that’s a powerful lever we can use to shape the built environment." — Rainger Pinney

"In Passive House buildings, humidity changes very slowly. That just observation applies in any climate—you’re less affected because the air isn’t running through your building like it does in most buildings." — Galen Staengl

"We should be retrofitting schools rather than demolishing them. Roofs, windows, and wall cladding can be replaced; we don’t need to demolish the whole school to make it better." — Nidhi Shah

The Reimagine Edit is a special series of the Passive House Podcast that shares curated insights from our Experts-In-Residence at the Reimagine Buildings Collective, our membership community of building professionals stepping up to tackle climate change. Learn more about the Reimagine Buildings Collective at https://www.reimaginebuildings.com

Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast we are joined by Mark Anderson a Registered Master Builder, Licensed Building Practitioner, and Certified Passive House Tradesperson based in Wanaka, New Zealand. Mark founded MA Building in 2013, driven by a commitment to craftsmanship, sustainability, and innovation in residential construction. Growing up on building sites alongside his father, Mark developed a deep respect for the trade, which he now channels into creating high-performance, architecturally designed homes. His passion for Passive House principles stems from a desire to build healthier, more energy-efficient homes for future generations. 

Connect with Mark Anderson:

Website: mabuilding.co.nz

Instagram: @mabuilding_wanaka

PHINZ Directory: M A Building Wanaka

Resources Mentioned:

MA Building Blog: Why I Chose Passive Homes: The Real Story

Passive House Institute New Zealand: passivehouse.nz

This week on the Passive House Podcast, Jay and Mary welcome Shannon Pendleton, of Source 2050 and Sanderson Sustainable Design, to share her insights from the massive International Builders Show (IBS) in Las Vegas. From electrification trends to American-made high-performance windows, Shannon breaks down where the building industry is headed and how Source 2050 fits into the evolving landscape of sustainable building.

Source 2050 - https://source2050.com/

What is Good Wood?(article) - https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/what-is-good-wood-form-follows-forest

RB25 - https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/events/reimagine-buildings-2

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Mary James and Jay Fox dive into passive leisure centers and indoor pool design with Jessica Grove-Smith, Senior Scientist and Joint Managing Director of the Passive House Institute. Jessica shares the story of how PHI began exploring high-humidity building typologies, the unique challenges of designing ultra-efficient recreation centers, and the lessons learned from pioneering projects in Germany and the UK—like the groundbreaking St. Sidwell's Point. From airtightness to evaporation reduction, this is Passive House design at its most dynamic.

https://passivehouse.com/

In this sixth episode of The Reimagine Edit (TRE) series of the Passive House Podcast, host Zack Semke shares selected clips of insights from Carmel Pratt (Massive Passive AMA); Graham Irwin and Silas Patlove (Duck Curve Friday AMA); Lloyd Alter (Sufficiency First AMA); Sara Kudra, Bev Craig, Rainger Pinney, Kristof Irwin, and Alexander Gard-Murray (BuildingEnergy Boston Recap); Ilka Cassidy and Greg Leskien (PH Panelization AMA); and Andrew Peel (Passive House Modeling AMA).

The Reimagine Edit is a special series of the Passive House Podcast that shares curated insights from our Experts-In-Residence at the Reimagine Buildings Collective, our membership community of building professionals stepping up to tackle climate change. Learn more about the Reimagine Buildings Collective at https://www.reimaginebuildings.com

Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Mary James sits down with Hugh Pearce, architect and Passive House lead at the UK-based firm Architype. Known for trailblazing sustainable educational design, Architype is behind landmark projects like the UK’s first Passive House secondary school. Hugh shares insights into the London Docks Secondary School—an ambitious, airtight, biodiversity-rich oasis in the heart of London’s urban density. Tune in for a deep dive into Passive House design for schools.

https://www.architype.co.uk/

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast Ilka is at McGill University for the Reconstruct Workshop, a workshop bringing together students, researchers, and industry leaders to tackle the future of deep energy retrofits. Ilka sits down with emerging voices from architecture and engineering to unpack prefab innovation, the Single Integrated Manufacturing (SIM) model, and real-world pilot projects aimed at decarbonizing existing buildings. It's a behind-the-scenes look at how the next generation is shaping retrofit strategies that are scalable, sustainable, and socially impactful.

https://aeechair.research.mcgill.ca/en/initiatives/the-reconstruct-initiative