Passive House Podcast

You may know Prudence Ferreira through her role as cohost of Passive House Accelerator’s Global Passive House Happy Hour. Or perhaps you’ve been her student, learning the ins and outs of Passive House design and building science in one of Prudence’s many teaching engagements. She’s one of North America’s top Passive House innovators and a global leader in high-performance building practice. Now based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she’s Senior Associate with the Carbon Neutral Group at BR+A Consulting Engineers.

In this episode, Passive House Podcast cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh interviews Prudence about her pathway to Passive House (from professional dance to health food to corporate sustainability) and then dives into a fascinating conversation about the potential role of evolutionary algorithms, AI, and machine learning in accelerating the transition to high-performance building design, at scale, in the AEC industry. 

Prudence is a licensed trainer, curriculum developer, author for PHIUS, and teaches the CPHC training program and Passive House workshops throughout the US. She helped author the CPHC Exam, helped train over 500 CPHCs, and is a contributor to CPHC training curriculum. She’s also an advisor for Passive House Accelerator.

Listen to the full episode about Prudence Ferreira's pioneering Passive House practice.

For event links mentioned by Matthew and cohost Zack Semke, visit https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-week-in-preview-feb-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.

Sian Taylor was one of the first certified Passive House designers in New Zealand and has played a pivotal role in Passive House adoption there. She first trained as an architect in the United Kingdom, at the University of Wales in Cardiff. She currently lives in Otago, where she started her practice, Team Green Architects. Her architectural practice has helped show a pathway for fusing high-performance building with design excellence and has helped raise the profile of Passive House design and construction in New Zealand.

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Sian joins cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh to discuss how Passive House design has become integral to her architectural practice. The conversation takes us through Sian’s process as an architect, the role that window quality plays in determining a home’s performance, airtightness testing, and more. Listen to the full episode about Sian Taylor’s approach here. 

Mathew and cohost Zack Semke discuss upcoming Passive House events at the end of the episode–find them here: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-week-in-preview-feb-8

See this profile of Team Green Architects’ striking Oliver’s Ridge project:  https://archipro.co.nz/project/olivers-ridge-team-green-architects

And don’t miss Sian’s Passive House Open Days video from Summer of 2020, featuring the design of her own home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrTlqaUqjBo

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.

Anton Dobrevski was born and raised in Bulgaria, where he says that houses are generally not built well or well insulated. Nevertheless, Anton was introduced to Passive House at an early age by his father, a pioneering Passive House builder in Bulgaria. Upon graduating from high school, Anton moved to the Netherlands to study architecture at Delft University of Technology. During one of his first assignments as a student, his class was advised to follow the Passive House standard. While eager to do so, he found that was hard to find practical information and resources about how to practically apply Passive House to design.

Anton believes that many architects have not necessarily been taught the specifics of how to design energy-efficient buildings. Added to this, many designers and builders around the world still have not yet heard of the Passive House Standard. Anton started the Passive House school to address these issues. A unique feature of the Passive House School is that it started online in order to reach a truly international audience. Three years on and one global pandemic later, the Passive House School is proving a success. 
 
In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Anton joins cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh to discuss his experience in launching Passive House School. The conversation also takes us through his journey of discovering Passive House, and how his father, who builds houses in Bulgaria, was an early adopter of building science technology.

Late in the episode, Matthew and cohost Zack Semke talk about upcoming Passive House events. Details can be found here: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-week-in-preview-feb-1

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.

This week’s Passive House Podcast serves double-duty: first, as a fascinating conversation with the accomplished Passive House architect and deep thinker Dennis Wedlick; and second, as a preview to this Tuesday’s (January 26) webcast produced by Dennis on behalf of AIANY CRAN that will feature a “mini film festival” of residential Passive House practice from four teams, followed by a panel discussion moderated by the Accelerator’s Zack Semke.

Dennis is the founder of BarlisWedlick Architects, a firm he originally founded as Dennis Wedlick Architect in 1992. He began his architectural career with a 12-year apprenticeship to the master architect Philip Johnson. His architecture has been featured by the Smithsonian National Design Museum and has received numerous accolades. In honoring Dennis’ work, Habitat for Humanity in Columbia County, New York called him “a visionary, whose designs concern not only the health and welfare of his clients but the community at large.” He is the author of five books on residential design, most recently Classic & Modern: Signature Styles (2013), co-authored with Alan Barlis.

Dennis is a pioneer in Passive House design in the United States, harnessing its power to tackle energy poverty. In this episode, he and Zack talk about Dennis’ journey working with Philip Johnson, to his residential projects in New York, to his work advocating for equitable access to high-performance buildings and energy security, especially in rural communities. Enjoy!

Find links to events at: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-week-in-preview-jan-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.

While Brett Seriani began his career in Canada, he is now a Passive House pioneer in Australia. Before becoming a Certified Passive House Designer, Brett trained and qualified as both a structural engineer and an architect. With this powerhouse of experience and knowledge, he is well placed to offer a range of technical design services through his company, Seriani Designs.

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Brett joins cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh to discuss his relatively recent discovery of Passive House and his current graduate work examining the interplay between the operational carbon emissions savings of Passive House and the embodied carbon emissions savings possible through smart structural engineering. 

This conversation takes us through Brett’s history in sustainable design, and how he first discovered Passive House at a Builders Designers Association meeting in Victoria, Australia. He talks about his current work as a structural engineer, how he develops sustainable buildings for his clients, and how the demand for Passive House is increasing. He also mentions common tricky points in thermal bridging and thermal insulation, as well as other issues in building science. Listen to the full episode about Brett Seriani’s projects and his work in Australia. 

For links to the events that Matthew and cohost Zack Semke discuss at the end of the episode, see our Week in Preview article for January 18, 2021.

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.

Lois Arena is one of North America’s top Passive House practitioners and has worked on many of the continent’s most significant Passive House buildings. In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Lois joins cohost Zack Semke to discuss her journey to Passive House as well as to offer a teaser for the Global Passive House Happy Hour presentation about VRF lessons learned on January 20. 

The conversation takes us from her days as a remodeling contractor, her work as a building engineering researcher and trainer, to her practice of Passive House design on large-scale projects as director of Passive House Services with Steven Winter Associates. She talks about her current work on a historic retrofit of the Pirelli Tire building in Connecticut, a brutalist icon that will become a Passive House hotel. She also touches on her work on the glass high rise Passive House (and LEED Platinum) building in Boston, Winthrop Center. Listen to the full episode to hear about Louis’ Passive House projects and her trailblazing work across North America.

About the Pirelli Tire building: https://www.swinter.com/party-walls/pirelli-historic-retrofit-part-1/

About Winthrop Center: https://handelarchitects.com/project/winthrop-center

Passive House Accelerator's "Passive House Week in Preivew": https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-week-in-preview-jan-11

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.

Daniel Kress is a prolific Passive House educator, having trained over half of Australia’s certified Passive House professionals. In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, our first of 2021, Daniel joins cohost Matthew Cutler-Welsh to discuss his work at Smart Plus Academy, the educational consultancy that Daniel founded and directs, as well as his work promulgating Passive House in Australia and beyond.  

The conversation takes us from his days as a carpenter in Germany, to his graduate work in Canada, to his career in Australia: first as a builder, then as a Certified Passive House Consultant, and now as a trainer. Daniel shares nugget after nugget of Passive House communications gold during the chat, imparting smart ways to explain the benefits of Passive House to homeowners and builders alike. Listen to the full episode to hear Daniel’s insights and lessons learned about both Passive House practice and movement-building Downunder.

For info about this week's Passive House Accelerator Construction Tech and Global Passive House Happy Hour, see our PH Week in Preview here: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/passive-house-week-in-preview-jan-4

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 Sangeetha Sambandam joins podcast co-host Zack Semke to talk about her journey to Passive House and the major projects she has underway. Sangeetha, a designer at WRT in Philadelphia, completed her architectural training in India with an undergraduate background in physics. After working in Sri Lanka and India she moved to Philadelphia where her interest in the sustainable side of architecture took off. Sangeetha is certified as a Passive House designer by both Passive House Institute and Passive House Institute US, and holds a myriad of other sustainable design certifications and accreditations. 

Sangeetha talks with Zack about the completion of Phase 1 of the Park River multifamily low-income Passive House complex in Hartford, Connecticut. The complex will include 260 units of low-income housing across 4 phases using both PHI and PHIUS certifications. 

Listen to the full episode to hear about the potential for more low-income Passive House housing in Connecticut, embodied carbon, and Sangeetha’s dream project: dual certified Passive House and Living Building.

For links to upcoming Passive House educational opportunities, see this week's Week in Preview. 

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 2014, Luc Plowman’s consulting practice had just 2 Passive House projects on the books. Now, just over 6 years later, he has 40 underway. He’s witnessed Australia’s Passive House growth firsthand. Luc is the founder and director of Detail Green in Beechworth, Australia, and one of a small cadre of Passive House certifiers in the country. Before his work at Detail Green, Luc worked as a senior sustainability engineer and project engineer. 

 In this episode of Passive House Podcast, co-host Matthew Cutler-Welsh talks with Luc about his perspectives on the Australia Passive House scene, the power of experiential learning in convincing builders and homeowners that Passive House is the way to go, and the “aha!” moments that he has witnessed as people engage in this learning. 

Listen to the full episode to learn how Luc demystifies Passive House construction and hear tips from his eventful Passive House career. 

Check out our Passive House Week in Preview article for links to the events and educational offerings that co-ho Zack Semke references at the end of the episode. 

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.

Julie Torres Moskovitz, principal at Fete Nature Architecture, joins Passive House Podcast intern/producer Sydney Fishman and co-host Zack Semke on this week’s episod. Bringing refreshing perspectives to the table, Julie talks with the co-hosts about thermal imaging as a guide to practice, resilience and social justice, blower door testing during construction, and more. 

 Julies portfolio is expansive, including new construction to residential retrofits, FEMA flood resiliency and non-profit projects. In addition to being a practicing architect, Julie is the author of ‘The Greenest Home: Superinsulated and Passive House Design’, and an educator. Julie teaches the Eco Urban Systems seminar Syracuse University NYC and teaches at Pratt Institute of Design, where she is a Taconic Fellow. 

 Dive into the full episode to hear about Julie’s first Passive House project in Brooklyn and the impact city-level action can have on the viability of Passive House as a driver of equitable climate solution-making.

The conversation references a striking therm image of a Passive House retrofit in Brooklyn taken by Sam McAfee.

At the end of show, Zack references several upcoming events. Details can be found in Passive House Accelerator's Week In Preview article.  Note that the Happy Hour speaker for the Dec 16 will be Scott Kennedy and Gesa Zellermann (not Dan Nall), presenting the pioneering multifamily Passive House project, The Heights, in Vancouver, Canada.

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.