left to right: Aaron Yankauskas of Brute Force Collaborative, Tadashi Shiga of Evergreen Certified and Dwell Development’s Anthony Maschmedt
(not pictured: Mike Eliason of Brute Force Collaborative)
A few weeks ago we presented at the Passive House Northwest Conference with details on our Passivhaus at Columbia Station. We were asked to provide 10 slides and present in 10 minutes, and were honored when we were told we’d earned the coveted “6-pack” award, which is presented to teams achieving a .6 ACH or lessat 50 Pascals during a blower door test. Other presenters in the 10×10 segment included NK Architects, Harrison Architects, Hammer & Hand and Artisans.
This year’s annual conference, which was held at Seattle Pacific University, brought together consultants, businesses and organizations whose goal is promoting high energy efficient construction via the Passivhaus standard. The keynote address was given by Denis Hayes, president of the Bullitt Foundation, who provided a terrific overview of the Bullitt Center - aka “the greenest commercial building in the world”. While not technically “Passivhaus” this high performance building seeks to meet the Living Building Challenge certification program, an ambitious performance standard administered by The International Living Future Institute. Among these standards is that of net-zero energy which means the building generates 100 percent of its energy needs using on-site renewable energy on a net annual basis. The striking solar panel array on the roof of the building will be a key component in achieving this goal. Consultants and contractors on the project included The Miller Hull Partnership, Point32, Schuchart Construction & PAE Consulting Engineers. The building is slated to open on Earth Day, April 22nd.
Numerous other speakers filled the day with informative presentations and lively discussion. Among them, Joke Dockx, Director for Energy at the Brussels Institute for Management of the Environment spoke of the +1.5 million square feet of Passive House building projects they’ve assisted with which are either complete or under construction, and how the organization will mandate Passivhaus by 2015. Tim McDonald of Onion Flats LLC presented on his company’s multi-family subsidized affordable Passivhaus housing in Philadelphia, and Katrin Klingenberg of PHIUS spoke about a new tool for Passive House homes and buildings in North America and why it’s needed for the continent’s varied climates. It was an incredible day and we were thrilled to be among such an extraordinary group of colleagues and enthusiasts! Here’s a pdf of the full program. And see unedited video of our presentation here.