Passive House Podcast

On Episode 36 of the Passive House Podcast. cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh interviews Robyn Wark, Manager of Advanced Demand Side Management at BC Hydro about the groundbreaking Energy Step Code in British Columbia. 

Robyn is a sustainability strategist, partnership builder, and coach on low carbon communities.  Her sustainability work has won awards from Real Estate Foundation of BC, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Canadian Institute of Planners, and the Planning Institute of British Columbia (PIBC). In 2013 she was awarded the PIBC Individual Award for Leadership in Advocacy & Innovation. 

The BC Step Code provides a roadmap of 5 steps to guide the AEC industry and BC cities from today's base building code to an endpoint of Passive House-levels of performance. This highest level of performance, “Step 5”, will become mandatory for all buildings in British Columbia by 2032. Because everyone knows exactly where code is headed, as well as the steps to get there, early adoption of higher levels of performance can be incentivized in a clear and rational way. 

In her conversation with Matthew, Robyn describes the BC Energy Step Code, how it came to be in British Columbia, and how its lessons might be applied elsewhere in the world. (She’ll expand upon these ideas at our Passive House Summit on Monday, April 26, too!) 

Read more about BC Energy Step Code here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/construction-industry/building-codes-and-standards/reports/bcenergystepcode_lessons_learned_final.pdf

Matthew and cohost Zack Semke discuss upcoming events. Link to those in Passive Hosue Accelerator's Week in Preview: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-week-in-preview-april-26

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 Episode 35 of the Passive House Podcast, cohost Zack Semke interviews architect Tom Eisele, recently of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Resiliency, and current policy advisor with New York Passive House. Zack and Tom discuss the momentous New York City Local Law 97 which caps greenhouse gas emissions for all buildings in New York that are 25,000 or larger—over 50,000 buildings. The caps step down to 80% reduction in GHGs by 2050, with hefty fines to be levied on building owners for buildings that do not comply. Local Law 97, assuming it persists, will compel all significant buildings in New York City to dramatically reduce energy consumption and emissions over the coming decades, and building owners will be looking for predictable and quantifiable means to achieve these reductions. Enter Passive House. 

This podcast interview previews ideas and themes that will be explored at Passive House Accelerator’s Passive House Policy Summit to be held on Monday, April 26, 2021. Learn more and register for the virtual event. 

Zack and cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh discuss upcoming Passive House events. Find links: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-week-in-preview-april-19

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 Episode 34 of the Passive House Podcast, cohost Zack Semke interviews Passive House policy leader and accelerator Beverly Craig, Senior Project Manager of Low and Moderate Income Programs at Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (Mass CEC). Zack and Beverly discuss the pivotal role that policy progress can play in spurring widespread adoption of Passive House design and construction. Beverly shares her firsthand experience instigating rapid Passive House uptake in her state, spurred along by programs like Mass CEC’s Passive House Design Challenge, Mass CEC’s Triple Decker Challenge, Mass Save’s Passive House incentives, and Massachusetts’ recently-passed climate law, and more. It’s safe to say that Massachusetts is lining up to become an epicenter of Passive House construction in North America, thanks in no small part to these programs and to the work of Beverly and other policy leaders. Listen to the podcast episode to hear her insights about what has made these programs successful and to take away lessons for use in your community. 

This podcast interview previews ideas and themes that will be explored at Passive House Accelerator’s Passive House Policy Summit to be held on Monday, April 26, 2021. Learn more and  register for the virtual event: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/event-announcements/passive-house-policy-summit-i-new-construction

For more about Mass CEC's Triple Decker Challenge: https://www.masscec.com/triple-decker-design-challenge

Zack and cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh discuss upcoming Passive House events. Find links: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-week-in-preview-april-5

A big "Thank You!" to our Sponsor of the Week, Sto Corp: https://www.stocorp.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.

Ya’el Santopinto is an architect and associate at ERA Architects, where she leads ERA’s affordable housing retrofit practice. She is also the director of research and partnerships with the Tower Renewal Partnership, a non-profit sister organization to ERA that advocates for supportive policy frameworks around the preservation of Canada’s affordable apartment housing supply. Ya’el is the project architect on the inspiring Passive House retrofit of the Ken Soble apartment tower in Hamilton, Ontario—the largest EnerPHit outside of Europe.

Mary James and Ilka Cassidy spoke with Ya’el about urban policies and the shape of cities, tower renewal, and the preservation of vital rental housing. Today about 800,000 Canadian households live in aging tower structures, which were built starting in the 1960s to accommodate post-war families. Tower renewals transform more than the buildings, as they breathe new life into the tight-knit communities that have sprung up in them, Ya’el points out. Taking a Passive House envelope-first approach to such retrofits creates a win-win-win for residents’ comfort, carbon savings, and for landlords. Listen in for more about ERA’s retrofits-only practice, its collaborative systems approach, and the primary research conducted by its sister organization, the Tower Renewal Partnership. 

For more tower retrofit details, read the Ken Soble Tower EnerPHit article: http://passivehousebuildings.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/PassiveHouseBuildings-Spring2020-Screen.pdf

Or listen to the June 10, 2020 Global Passive House Happy Hour: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/video-graeme-stewart-and-yael-santopinto-ken-stoble-tower-retrofit

The publication, Tower Renewal: A Field Guide to Retrofits in Occupied Buildings, can be found here: http://towerrenewal.com/research-reports/tower-renewal-a-field-guide-to-retrofits-in-occupied-buildings/

For links to the events that co-host Zack Semke mentions at the end of the episode, visit: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-week-in-preview-april-05

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.

Kate Nason is a certified passive house designer in Melbourne, Australia. She works for the international environmental design consultancy, Atelier Ten. She's also a director of partnerships and major events on the board of the Australian Passive House Association and a part-time tutor at the University of Melbourne.

Having had various architectural roles since graduating from her master's degree, Kate has collected a range of experiences, including working on some of Australia's earliest Passive House projects. Passive House Podcast cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh caught up with Kate to talk about her journey into architecture, how she discovered Passive House, and her vision for the future of her industry in Australia.

Don't miss Kate's excellent report, Green Light: The Rise of the Energy Efficient Building: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/green-light-rise-of-the-energy-efficient-building

View Kate's May 2020 appearance at the Global Passive House Happy Hour: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/video-kate-nason-melbourne-passive-house

See the Gillies Hall project, Kate's first Passive House project, and the one that got the ball rolling for her: https://grunconsulting.com/project/944/

Listen to Andy Marlow (who Kate mentioned in the interview) and his conversation with Matthew for the Passive House Podcast: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-podcast-ep-15-andy-marlow-of-passivhaus-design-construct

Matthew and cohost Zack Semke discuss upcoming Passive House events and trainings. Access those at: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-week-in-preview-march-29

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.

Most Australians who know a bit about Passive House will know a bit about Clare Parry. If they haven’t met her personally, they will have been impacted by her leadership. In this interview, Clare shares with Passive House Podcast cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh how she had to travel to New Zealand to attend Passive House training because there wasn’t any available in Australia when she first became interested. And there wasn’t any Australia-based Passive House training until Clare herself set it up. She went on to become the founding Chair of the now well-established Australian Passive House Association and is one of only two Passive House Certifiers in the country. As well as being one of Australia’s leading Passive House professionals, Clare has extensive experience in a broad range of building rating tools, including LEED, Green Star, WELL and NABERS. She is currently the Better Buildings Lead at the innovative practice, HIP V. HYPE, in Melbourne.

At the end of the episode, co-host Zack Semke refers to upcoming Passive House Accelerator events and the Accelerator's Sponsor of the Week, 475 High Performance Building Supply. Learn more at: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-week-in-preview-march-22

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 Nettleton is the founder of Thoughtful Balance, an architectural and consulting firm based in Pittsburgh devoted to cutting-edge sustainable and high-performance design solutions. The firm has pioneered some of the most significant Passive House retrofit projects in the United States. Laura is dedicated to the idea that architecture should be simple, affordable, and available to everyone. She is actively involved in green initiatives in Pittsburgh, and in spreading the word about Passive House. She founded the PHWPA (Passive House of Western Pennsylvania) and was its first president.

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Nettleton joins cohost Zack Semke to discuss her reflections as an architectural innovator and Passive House exponent. This conversation touches on the role of buildings, particularly retrofits, in creating a better, more healthy future, even in the face of existential climate change challenges. Listen to the full episode of Laura Nettleton on your favorite podcast platform.

After the interview, Zack and cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh discuss several upcoming events. Find links to those and more here: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-week-in-preview-march-15

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 celebration of International Women’s Day 2021, we have something special in store for listeners of the Passive House Podcast. Guest cohosts Mary James and Ilka Cassidy launch their once-a-month series of interviews with women leaders and practitioners in Passive House with an interview with Nina Sharifi and Gabrielle Brainard. 

Mary James is Passive House Accelerator’s Director of Publications and the driving force behind Passive House Accelerator Magazine (formerly Passive House Buildings Magazine). Ilka Cassidy is co-founder of Holzraum System and specializes in offsite, prefabricated, low carbon Passive House buildings. For their first Passive House Podcast episode, Mary and Ilka interview two exciting guests who are collaborating on a retrofit guide for common building typologies found in cold climates. Nina Sharifi is an assistant professor at Syracuse University’s School of Architecture and the Director of the Applied Sciences and Technology Research and Architecture Lab. Gabrielle Brainard is an architect, facade specialist and educator. She consults on Passive House projects, conducts academic research, and teaches architecture and building science at Pratt Institute and the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.

The envelope retrofit guide that they are collaborating on will provide technical guidance to architects in the early stages of net-zero retrofit projects. The guide focuses on the building envelope, a critical component of high-performance retrofits that is the primary responsibility of the architect. During their interview with Mary and Ilka, Nina and Gaby discuss the retrofit guide project, dive into an explanation of the field of architectural sciences and how Passive House design meshes with it, and explore the overlap of architecture, construction, and technology in Passive House project delivery. They also reflect on their experience as women in the fields of architecture and construction, and in working to catalyze the transition to high-performance, low carbon building. 

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.

Talina Edwards is a leader in regenerative architecture and Passive House design in Australia. She’s a leader of Australian Architects Declare as well as a board member of Australian Passive House Association. In 2013 she established her architectural studio, Talina Edwards Architecture, which has gone on to win numerous sustainable design awards, most recently for the striking Owl Woods Passive House project. 

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Talina joins cohost Matthew-Cutler Welsh to discuss her journey as an architect and Passive House pioneer. This conversation takes us through Talina’s education at Melbourne University, her early connections to sustainability, the launching of her own architecture practice, and the maturation of that practice into one that embraces both building physics and biophilic design. Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast platform.

Matthew and cohost Zack Semke discuss upcoming events. For details: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-week-in-preview-mar-1

And if you enjoy the Passive House Podcast or Passive House Accelerator’s other programming please consider joining as a Patreon supporter at: https://www.patreon.com/passivehouseaccelerator

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 podcaster extraordinaire and personality Ben Adam-Smith of House Planning Help joins  Passive House Podcast cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh for an entertaining conversation about how Ben came to his focus on Passive House, his burgeoning communications treasure trove at House Planning Help's "The Hub", his observations about Passive House adoption in the UK, and the secrets behind his Passive House communications superpowers.

Ben started his career in radio and TV production, including a stint as a radio presenter. But when he embarked on a journey to create an "eco" home for his family, he recognized the need for easier-to-find and easier-to-access info about sustainable design and construction. So he pivoted and launched a podcast about that journey. That podcast expanded to video content, a website, and now, The Hub. Listen to the interview to learn more!

After the interview, Matthew and cohost Zack Semke refer to a series of upcoming events that can be found here: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-week-in-preview-feb-22

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.