Passive House Podcast

In this special Passive House Component Episode, Passive House Podcast cohost Zack Semke interviews Paul Grahovac and Pat Downey of PROSOCO, provider of the R-Guard system of fluid-applied air and water barriers since the early days of the North American Passive House movement. 

Paul and Pat share how the R-Guard system was originally an outgrowth of building rescue work, how PROSOCO worked with the International Living Future Institute to remove phthalates from their product chemistry in order to be included on the Bullitt Center project, and how a recent code-built high school in Washington State became an "Accidental Passive House" due to the Passive House-level of airtightness that was accidentally achieved by the project team after they applied PROSOCO's fluid-applied membranes.

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.

Mary James and Ilka Cassidy talk with Caitlin Martusewicz, principal at Cycle Architecture and Planning, about how her early community development experience in rural Ghana led to her wanting to join the firm and the Passive House projects that she has contributed to. They also discuss Cycle’s involvement in NYSERDA’s Building of Excellence and RetrofitNY programs, as well as the exciting prospects that this involvement could herald.

The Passive House Podcast cohosts discuss upcoming Passive House events at the end of the episode. Links to those can be found here: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-weekly-may-23-2022

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.

Passive House Podcast cohost Zack Semke interviews Ryan Cassidy, Director of Sustainability & Construction for RiseBoro Community Partnership. Ryan discusses supervising the construction of the first multi-family affordable Passive House buildings in NYC, his current work renovating existing buildings to the Passive House standard, and his insights around mainstreaming Passive House as standard practice.

Zack and cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh discuss upcoming Passive House events at the end of the episode. Links to those can be found here: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-weekly-may-16-2022 

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 special Passive House Component Episode, Passive House Podcast cohost Zack Semke interviews Evan Anderson, general manager of Zola Windows, a longtime supporter of North America's Passive House movement and the first Founding Sponsor of Passive House Accelerator. 

Evan shares his path to Passive House and the world of high performance windows, talks about how Zola Windows are being applied in the field, including in a recent project in Antarctica, and gives a preview of Zola's brand new steel frame line.

Zack and cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh discuss the May 16, 2022 Passive House Component Spotlight event featuring Sam McAfee of Zola Windows. View the video of that event here: https://youtu.be/EJiRAWpNuWw

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.

Passive House Podcast cohost Zack Semke interviews Marine Sanchez, Senior Passive House Consultant at RDH Building Science. A chartered, bilingual building science engineer, Passive House designer, and certifier, Marine leads RDH's Passive House services on the east coast of the US and Canada. Marine and Zack discuss the state of Passive House in Toronto and Ontario, the impact of the Toronto Green Standard and carbon tax policy on developer decision-making about incorporating Passive House in their projects, and more. 

Zack and cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh discuss upcoming Passive House events at the end of the episode. Links to those can be found here: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-weekly-may-9-2022 

Also, please check out:
• Interview article with Marine Sanchez that introduces the Toronto Green Standard: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/interview-with-marine-sanchez-rdh-building-science-about-passive-house-and-the-toronto-green-standard 
• Video of Marine's presentation to the Global Passive House Happy Hour about the Passive House Dormitory at University of Toronto Scarborough: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/videos/marine-sanchez-passive-house-dorm-at-u-toronto 

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.

Passive House Podcast cohost Matthew Cutler Welsh interviews Steve Hughes of Build Good Architecture in New Zealand. Steve and his family moved from Ponsonby to Pumpkin Hill on the Coromandel Peninsula in 2021 to live their dream life: to build a beautiful, off-grid, passive home and live off the land by growing a lush permaculture garden. Hear about Steve's pathway to Passive House practice and about the design and construction of his remarkable home. 

Mathew and cohost Zack Semke discuss upcoming Passive House events at the end of the episode. Links to those can be found here: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-weekly-may-2-2022 

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.

Laura Blau is a principal of BluPath Design, a Passive House trailblazer, and an expert witness for plaintiffs regarding building defects. Guest Co-Hosts Mary James and Ilka Cassidy interview Laura about her early Passive House days, including her participation in Philadelphia's first builder training where she was the only woman and only architect, her complex Passive House projects, and the problems with poorly constructed non-Passive House buildings. 

After the interview, show cohosts discuss upcoming events, links to which can be found here: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-weekly-april-25-2022 

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.

Passive House Podcast co-host Zack Semke interviews Roberto Pecora, Director of ZEBx, the Zero Emissions Building Exchange based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Zack and Roberto discuss the role that Passive House is playing in policymaking and market transformation in the City of Vancouver, the Province of British Columbia, and beyond.

Zack and co-host Matthew Cutler-Welsh discuss upcoming Passive House events near the end of the episode, link to which can be found here: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-weekly-april-18-2022

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.

Passive House Podcast cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh interviews Adam Souter, Director of Souter Built in Sydney, Australia about his approach to high performance building design and his remarkable Pepper Tree Passive House project. 

View an article of the project here: https://www.realestateview.com.au/news/nsw/unanderra-builder-unveils-region-s-first-passive-house/ 

At the end of the episode, Matthew and cohost Zack Semke discuss upcoming events, links to which can be found here: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-weekly-april-11-2022 

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.

Passive House Podcast cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh interviews Ben Caine, an Architect and Passive House Designer based in Perth, Western Australia. As Matthew discovered in this interview, Ben has a passion and knack for making good design look simple.

After an early career working in the film industry, Ben decided that he really wanted to do something that would make a difference to people’s lives. So in his mid-twenties, he went back to college to become an architect. He has made the most of this opportunity, taking out design awards and being involved with the local branch of the Australian Institute of Architects. In 2018, Ben qualified as a Certified Passive House Designer and during that same year, he founded Leanhaus, a design firm with a goal to bring high performance homes to more people than just the select few who can afford a luxury, architecturally designed home. 

While some of his designs may look a million dollars, Leanhaus is demonstrating that Passive House can be practical, affordable, and very appropriate for warm climates like Western Australia. 

After the interview, Matthew and cohost Zack Semke discuss upcoming events, links to which can be found here: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-weekly-april-4-2022 

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.