Extreme energy efficiency, superior thermal comfort, and ensured durability: these are the three major concepts behind the Passive House standard. First developed in Germany in the 1990’s, this building performance standard has evolved into a worldwide model for high performance construction which has been applied to a wide range of building typologies including residential, offices, hotels, schools, and industrial.
In this episode Robb is joined by Passive House guru, Lois Arena, as the two discuss some of the most frequently asked Passive House questions. They dive into the progression of the standard over the last 25 years, what types of projects can and have been certified, measures to reduce a building’s total energy demand to meet the Passive House standard, and many more related topics. 
Episode Guest: Lois Arena
Lois Arena, Director of Passive House Services at Steven Winter Associates, Inc., possesses over 25 years of experience in the building science field and has extensive experience with new and existing buildings.  Lois holds both US and international Passive House consultant certifications and is currently consulting on some of the largest and most difficult Passive House projects in the world. She has co-authored and presented training programs about energy efficient building practices to professionals in all sectors of the building industry and is regularly invited to present at conferences and private firms around the world to discuss the benefits of and road blocks to PH adoption.

Episode Information and Resources

* Passive House FAQs
* Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) website
* International Passive House Institute (PHI) website
* New York City’s Roadmap to 80 x 50 (80% carbon reductions by 2050)
* Passive House Concepts ON BROADWAY – read about the NYC Ice Box Challenge in the PartyWalls Blog
* Case study: the world’s tallest certified Passive House – the Cornell Tech tower in NYC.
* Want to build a Passive House? Check out this list of certified Passive House envelope and mechanical components

We Want to Hear From You!
Send your feedback and questions to podcast@swinter.com
About Buildings and Beyond
Buildings and Beyond is a production of Steven Winter Associates. We provide energy, green building, and accessibility consulting services to improve the built environment. For more information, visit www.swinter.com.
Hosts
Robb Aldrich | Kelly Westby
Production Team
Heather Breslin |