After a stunning & bizarrely unprofessional exchange with someone I once highly respected, it’s been hard to find the motivation for the blog. That event (horizon) sucked out of the air many of the germinations of some tantalizing/interesting/comical (as usual) posts that were underway.

But after ~40 highly supportive phone calls/emails/tweets and these great words of wisdom from a mentor (and yes, R, you are a mentor!):

“As far as I can tell nothing you’ve written has been suspect. Cheeky, irreverent, outspoken, edging toward abrasive, yes…but not suspect! …You have a great, and needed, voice.”

…the mojo is coming back!

A lot has happened in the last few weeks in the world of Passivhaus – some of it good news, some of it horribly misguided/disappointing. So disappointing, in fact, it caused Preston Koerner of Jetson Green to tweet, [the PH drama is] “Not getting better, skip passive house for net-zero and LBC “. Oy! If Preston, who has been a fairly staunch advocate of PH is feeling that way…

Speaking of LBC, the other reason the blog has been light was that we’ve been busy. We tossed together a proposal with Pat Lando of Lando & Associates Landscape Architecture for the CascadiaGBC Living Aleutian Home, a net zero energy/water house for the incredibly remote (and ridiculously mesmerizing) island of Atka, Alaska. I met Pat when I gave my presentation on prefab/massivholz at the NW Ecobuilding Guild’s retreat last year. He actually gave the most worthwhile presentation (to me, at least) – and Pat’s got a really good eye as well, so it definitely was a worthwhile venture.

We had actually kicked the tires on a few ideas at the retreat, and so after letting them ferment for a bit – felt we were headed in the right direction. The submission package was pretty intense for a competition, and other than having about 12 hours to bust out renderings, we were quite satisfied with the results. Key strategies: uber compact, prefab’d superinsulated CLT walls, passivhaus-esque, attached greenhouse, net zero energy (off-grid wind), net zero water, and uber sexy. Once we’re notified that we didn’t place (3% odds, baby!), we’ll go ahead and post more info/boards.

One of the things that really stood out for me was that the embodied carbon of construction can potentially be far outweighed by the CO2 emissions of transporting goods to the site – even when sourcing locally as much as possible. I need to go back over my numbers when there’s time, but it seems to be a factor of 2-3x. Might be a worthwhile grad project for an interested student.

We also got started in on our Passivhaus backyard cottage. The zoning dance on this one has been really delicate, I’m sure Aaron will finally get in a blog post soon regarding that process. Let’s just say it might be easier to make a Passivhaus DADU work on a tight lot if you own the adjacent lot…

foto: Carles Pastor

Finally, it’s worth getting on your calendars that Carme Pigem of RCR Arquitectes will be lecturing at UW on February 16th. When I was working in Freiburg, I took some time off to go to Spain, specifically Girona, to check out the work of RCR (and ironically, immediately after staying up for 3 straight days for a competition that we won). Well worth it, as I’m sure the lecture will be.

foto: Michelle Kaufmann

A little late on this one, but a number of the presentations from the North American PH Conference put on last November have been uploaded. Some of them are worth a glance, though a few seemed to have left the bread and butter for attendees.

Ludwig Rongen’s presentation, five project climate study, is probably the most interesting – as it features a number of uber-clear plans/sections/details and is put together rather well. Plus, the projects are rather good, from an architectural standpoint. More of this, please!

For those interested in catching presentations from the 2010 conference, those can be found here.

BTW, that stunner up there at the top is the Empowerhouse, a Passivhaus collaboration between New School for Design and the Stevens Institute for Technology for last year’s solar decathlon. Not only does it looks pretty good, but it also won the affordability category. Respect!

A few events on our calendars and, if you’re in the region (or headed this way), should probably be on yours…

1/6-1/12

Urbanized @NW Film Forum
6532 Phinney Ave N
$6 members, $10 general
The latest offering from the director of the acclaimed ‘Helvetica’ and ‘Objectified’ films, Gary Hustwit. The posters were done by Build (UK), who also prepared the stunning ‘Objectified’ identity.

1/9: George Suyama: ‘Inspirations & Place‘
Kane 120, University of Washington
6.30 PM, free but registration requested

1/10: SLUG: ‘Proof is in the Pudding: Performance metrics from the first five Certified Living Buildings‘
Rainier Square Atrium, 1333 5th Avenue
7.30 AM, free to CascadiaGBC members, $5 general

1/25 Passive House Seattle, N.A. Passivhaus Conference download
6532 Phinney Ave N, Phinney Neighborhood Center – Room 3
5:30-7:00 PM, members free/$3 donation

3/2 PHNW Spring Conference, to be headlined by Jerry Yudelson
Portland State University, University Place
$70 members /$100 general on early bird registration (through 2/9)

04/05 – 06/05, 16th Annual International Passivhaus Conference
The wonderful city of Hannover (DE)
€530 on the early bird tip
We missed last year’s conference but have are sights on this year’s.

HEDONISTIC GREENWASHING?
After oggling the terrifically fetishistic diagrams and incredible work of OMA-alum and Danish phenom BIG for years, and really digging their concept of ‘hedonistic sustainability’ espoused in Bjarke’s TED talk – I was slightly disappointed to see BIG’s Amagerforbrænding incinerator was scrapped. Though, upon the realization it would have increased CO2 emissions by 30% – maybe not such a bad idea. Ack, so much for the sustainable part. Wisely, Copenhagen will be looking for better ways to recycle and deal with waste.

EGG WARMING 101

Every year, I see the Warming Huts competition call for entries, and every year I forget to really focus on it. This year’s winners include an entry that’s a terrible riff on Gehry – oh wait, that entry is Gehry? Ahhh… Well anyway, the Polar Hen by Czech firm mjölk architekti is definitely worth checking out – as is their website which features some terrific projects.

FIRST CURTAINWALL?

A really interesting post over on the facades confidential blog, regarding what may be the first true curtain wall, built on the 1903 east block of the Margarete Steiff AG factory. Featuring a double-skin facade – this is a phenomenal little project that I can’t believe is nearly 110 years old.  Completely glazed w/ ‘milch-glas’ – the shot of the interior appears to need little in the way of lighting. Ah, and of course this would be built and designed by Germans. Eat your heart out, Gropius!

EnerPHit SMOKETEST
OLS architects recently posted a youtube video of a smoke test for an ENERPHIT retrofit underway. Some rather interesting details and set to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor Op. 125 – you really have to be out there to geek out on this as much as I do…

PASSIVHAUS + COMPOSTING TOILETS
We’re putting together a project and are contemplating utilizing a composting toilet. While that will help us reduce our water usage, it does provide a bit of a conundrum for Passivhaus airtightness. A few projects I’ve seen (Passivhaus, no less – Cropthorne) have routed the composting chamber exhaust through the HRV. An interesting trick (way to snag those last BTUs!), but one that doesn’t feel like the best option. I started a thread on the PHNW Google Group,  feel free to chime in if you have any thoughts/experience on composting toilets in uber-tight construction.

HOMETOWN PASSIVHAUS
Another youtube video, this one a modern Passivhaus (mit PV!) literally 500 m due south from the house we lived in Saeffelen (DE) many years ago. The presenter is a little annoying – but the house has some really interesting features – lots of glass, decent light. Another interesting aspect is a koi pond that increases solar gain due to reflection in winter. Rotate it 90 degrees, and it could also be utilized as adiabatic cooling – plus a phenomenal lens. More details on the Passivhaus database.

NY TIMES PH LOVE
The last few weeks, the New York Times has featured not one, but two articles on Passivhaus. The first, “‘Zero-Energy’ Construction Crosses the Ocean,” discusses Passivhaus and briefly features the 96 St. Marks Street development underway in Brooklyn (the hot-bed of North American Passivhaus!).  The money quote comes from Brendan Aguayo, the developer, “I anticipate that our next retrofit will be considerably less in costs and time, now that we’ve worked out some of the kinks and come up with ways of doing a few things differently.” Definitely agree… Also, respect to NYPH, who garnered a shoutout in the article and seem to be keeping up the momentum. I’d say we’re jealous – but we’re planning on overtaking you soon, even without the quick hops from Europe.

The second,”A Sustainable Home Lives Up to Its Name,” features a recently completed architect-designed Passivhaus residence in Scotland. The project doesn’t feel cramped for a Passivhaus, features ample daylighting and some really nice touches. Also loving the long galley kitchen! While definitely not a low-end house, the operational savings are highlighted, and the owner (like us) believes this is where new construction is headed. The money quote:

Last Christmas, when the temperature was 3 degrees Fahrenheit, “we had to open the doors to cool down — it was too hot,” he said. “The house is even more efficient than we anticipated, which really is a nice problem to have.”

Also, h/t to Ken for pointing out what wasn’t discussed in either Passivhaus article!

ONION FLATS WINS PH DEVELOPMENT
Onion Flats, who was in town a few years ago for a great lecture series put on by space.city, has won one of the most progressive projects we’ve seen here in the states – a 126 unit Net Zero mixed-use development (Passivhaus + PV) in Philly. Their work has been consistently great – and Tim McDonald is the only lecturer I’ve seen in nearly 15 years that actually mentioned Passivhaus, so kudos to them for being way ahead of the curve. The project will also feature a fair amount of prefabrication, so it will be exciting to see this pulled off. The announcement can be seen here, and Inhabitat has a decent project background. Their proposal can be seen here (pdf)

CAES CASE STUDY
Recently posted on the betterbricks blog, the Center for Advanced Energy Studies would have been a great project for incorporating Passivhaus. The space heating demand is over 11x the limit for a Passivhaus, so while it is a LEED Gold project, this is potentially a great example of the synergies of LEED and Passivhaus. We’re working on a post to break that down a little further. The project is a laboratory, so there are additional ventilation and plug load issues – which we probably won’t dwell on too much.

VORARLBERG PH DEVELOPMENT
Similar to the Onion Flats development, a new 69,950 sf 100-unit Passivhaus development in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg recently broke ground. This is expected to be the largest PH residential development in Vorarlberg, and at €16M, has a fairly aggressive pricetag for a non-profit housing development. Interestingly, the project will feature a nice mix of rental units, lease-purchase and condo options. The project is a collaboration between Dorner\Matt and Dietrich|Untertrifaller. Should be a beaut. Slated for completion by the end of 2012. Project images via Dorner\Matt.

DUST BEFORE TAPING
The gang over at foursevenfive brought up an interesting topic on their blog recently – clean your sills before taping! Dust ain’t airtight, so be sure to adhere to a clean and properly prepped surface!

GARY SWENSON RETIRING
Build llc had a terrific write-up on the career of local engineering hero Gary Swenson, which has spanned the last 50± years. His retirement certainly leaves an interesting hole in the structural community. Great piece, guys!

Lastly, there has been a lot of talk about mechanical rooms in high performance buildings. While we’re all for maximizing the space within the plans – it’s a good idea to be sure the mechanical room is large enough for housing and servicing the mechanical equipment. That being said, this is what a Passivhaus mechanical room looks like…