PASSIVE HOUSE NORTH

PASSIVEHOUSE

PASSIVE HOUSE NORTH 2013

PASSIVE HOUSE NORTH 2013 EXHIBITORS

Welcome to the first North American conference dedicated to the premise that the international Passive House Standard represents the most affordable way to radically reduce building energy use in cool climates.

Affordable energy efficiency for a chang-ing climate” was selected as the Passive House North 2013 conference theme in order to underscore the growing awareness that in addition to providing unparalleled air quality and thermal comfort, Passive House also represents one of the most affordable methods by which communities may reduce building greenhouse gas emissions.

The opening plenary begins Friday at 9 a.m. sharp in the Bayshore Grand Ballroom at the south end of the glazed foyer. Please enter via the exhibition hall.

Schedules, session summaries, and pre-senter bios appear on the following pages.

Breakfast, lunch and snacks are provided, and will be served in the exhibition hall on Friday and Saturday.

Playing hookey is a venerable tradition in Vancouver. Be sure to skip at least one ses-sion. You haven’t seen this city until you’ve pedaled the seawall around Stanley Park. Bi-cycles and other people-powered machines can be rented just steps from the hotel: Walk one block West on Bayshore, then two blocks South (away from the mountains) on Denman to Georgia.

The Canadian Passive House Institute is grateful for the generous support of our sponsors, Euroline Windows, Zehnder America, BC Passive House and ecoHouse Canada magazine, as well as the tireless commitment of our partners: the Interna-tional Passive House Association, the North American Passive House Network, the Canada Green Building Council,

Welcome to Passive House NorthLet the Passivhausapalooza begin!

the Architectural Institute of British Colum-bia and the University of British Columbia.

But most of all, we’re grateful for you. We wish each and every Passive House North participant a personally and professionally fulfilling experience. And we hope you’ll carry the spirit of Passivhausapalooza home with you.

AFFORDABLE ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE

The Passive House North 2013 organizing committee: Rob Bernhardt, Lydia Durfeld, Torsten Ely, André Harrmann, Adam James, Narges Mowlaee, Monte Paulsen, Sandra Rohler and Guido Wimmers.

Two-day Prep Course for Certified Passive House Designer exam Presented by Tomas O’Leary, Passive House Academy. Separate registration required.

19:00 An Evening with Joe Lstiburek Interactive roundtable hosted by BC Building Envelope Council. Companion event. Register via BC Building Envelope Council.

WEDNESDAY SEPT. 25

All-day CaGBC Passive House Introduction Course Presented by Dr. Guido Wimmers, Canadian Passive House Institute. Meet at SFU Harbour Centre. Separate registration required.

All-day Passive House Window Certification Workshop Presented by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Feist, Passive House Institute. Separate registration required.

16:00 Passive House North 2013 Registration Opens Westin Bayshore Lobby

17:30 Pre-Conference Cocktail Party Cardero’s Restaurant, 200 meters East of Westin Bayshore. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

THURSDAY SEPT. 26

OPENING PLENARY 9 a.m. Friday in Salons A-B-C

The World’s Most Pressing IssueThe world’s climate and ecosystems are changing rapidly. What do these changes mean for society on the whole? What can we expect? And what can we do?

Dr. William Rees, originator of the “ecological footprint” concept, has taught at the University of British Columbia since 1969. He holds a PhD in population ecology from the University of Toronto.

The Saskatchewan Conservation HouseThe home of the future was built 36 years ago in Regina. It used a fifth of the energy consumed by ordinary homes. Along with the Lo-Cal House at the University of Illinois and the Leger House in Massachusetts, the Saskatchewan Conserva-tion House was among the first North American buildings to combine superinsulation, extreme airtightness and a heat-recovery system. This presentation reviews Canada’s landmark contri-bution to high-performance design.

Harold Orr helped build the Saskatchewan Conservation House, alongside engineer Rob Dumont and a team from the Saskatchewan Research Council. A senior research officer at National Research Council from 1961 to 1986, Orr also developed the “prairie double wall” and the blower door. Orr grew up in Vancouver and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan.

Passive House in Cold Climates TodayHeating accounts for the lion’s share of energy consumed by conventional buildings in cold cli-mates. By reducing heat losses, the Passive House approach enables heating demand to be supplied to a large extent by passive sources.

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Feist is a co-inventor of the Passive House Standard and head of the Passive House Institute (PHI) in Darmstadt, Germany. A physicist by training, he constructed the first Passive House in 1991. Dr. Feist has received many awards for his work, including the German Environmental Award, the Göteborg International Environment Prize, and an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Passive House in Canada TodayThis overview reviews current projects, notes ongoing initiatives, and explores obstacles.

Dr. Guido Wimmers is one of the initiators of Canada’s first Passive House and a co-founder of the Canadian Passive House Institute. He is co-au-thor of the City of Vancouver’s Passive Design Tool Kit, co-developer of the first North American window frame to receive PHI certification, and teaches Passive House design across Western Canada. Dr. Wimmers holds a master in architec-ture, a PhD in building science, and consulted on Passive House projects in Austria, Germany, and Italy.

PASSIVE HOUSE NORTH 2013

FRIDAY SEPT. 278:00 Registration Opens

OPENING PLENARY2.0 CORE AIBC LU’s 9:00 Rob Bernhardt Opening Remarks 9:30 Dr. William Rees The Worlds Most Pressing Issue 10:00 Harold Orr The Saskatchewan Conservation House 10:30 Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Feist Passive House in Cold Climates Today

11:00 Dr. Guido Wimmers Passive House in Canada Today

LUNCH BREAK

PASSIVE HOUSE IN COLD CLIMATES TECHNOLOGY & COMPONENTS1.5 CORE AIBC LU’s 1.5 CORE AIBC LU’s

13:30 Mike Eliason Bronwyn Barry Cold Climate Passive House Sills and Thresholds: Atka, Alaska Details that Boost Performance

14:00 PeterAmerongen BrittanyHanam Net Zero in Edmonton, Alberta Window Standards Compared NFRC vs. ISO vs. PHI

14:30 Passive House Pecha Kucha Guido Wimmers Toni Zedda (Whitehorse, YT) High-Performance Windows: Tim Naugler (Fredercton, NB) The Key to Passive House Tom Gyimesi (Edson, Alta)

COFFEE BREAK PASSIVE HOUSE AROUND THE WORLD COMPLIMENTARY STRATEGIES1.5 CORE AIBC LU’s 1.5 CORE AIBC LU’s

15:30 Tomas O’Leary Brad Liljequist New York City targets What Passive House can Contribute 10,000 m2 of PH by 2017 to the Living Building Challenge 16:00 LingGuo DianeBastien Passive House in China Optimizing Net Zero Buildings with Passive House and Active Techniques

16:30 Mike Eliason Chris Higgins High-design Around the World How Passive House fits LEED for Homes 17:00 EXHIBITORS’ RECEPTION

ACTIVE BANQUET

19:00 HenryGifford Integrity: What is it, and why it is critical to our future. Banquet ticket required.

PASSIVE HOUSE IN COLD CLIMATES1:30 p.m. Friday in Salon A

Cold Climate Passive House This case study reviews an affordable Passive House and Net Zero Energy house designed to achieve Living Building Challenge in the remote Alaskan village of Atka, Alaska (7200 HDDs 65F).

Michael Eliason is co-founder of Brute Force Collaborative, a Seattle-based design firm specializing in modern, low-energy buildings for innovative clients. Eliason is a Certified Passive House Consultant and co-chair of Passive House Northwest. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech.

Net Zero in Edmonton, Alberta The presentation outlines the specifications and measures prescribed by modeling results from both PHPP and Hot 2000, as well as an analysis of the relative costs and benefits of reaching Passive House compliance and net zero energy performance.

Peter Amerongen is president of Habitat Stu-dio. He has been designing and building energy efficient houses since the 1970s, including the Riverdale NetZero Project under CHMC’s EQuilib-rium Initiative. Habitat Studio has built four other net zero energy houses, including one that has produced 4000kWh more than it used for the last two years. The lessons from these projects have led Amerongen to embrace the Passive House approach.

Passive House Pecha KuchaToni Zedda on the McQuesten Passive Triplex in

Whitehorse, Yukon. Tim Naugler on the Naugler House in Frederic-

ton, New Brunswick.Tom Gyimesi on the Inscho project in Edson,

Alberta.

TECHNOLOGY & COMPONENTS1:30 p.m. Friday in Salon C

Sills and Thresholds: Details that Boost PerformanceA chain is only as strong as its weakest link.The comfort, efficiency and cost of high-performance buildings can hinge entirely on the windows. This presentation explores window size, selection, location, glass specification, installation and shading details for this notoriously complex component.

Bronwyn Barry is Design Director for One Sky Homes, a Silicon Valley Passive House and Net Zero Energy homebuilder. Educated in South Africa, the UK and US, Barry is a Certified Passive House Designer, an Associate AIA member and a founding member of both Passive House California and the North American Passive House Network. She also serves as the co-chair of the Passipedia Committee for the International Passive House Association.

Window Standards Compared: NFRC vs. ISO vs. PHI Choosing windows for a Passive House is compli-cated by the differences between North American and European energy performance rating stan-dards. This presentation provides an overview of the different Passive House window qualification paths as well as the differences between rating systems.

Brittany Hanam is a Building Science Engineer with RDH Building Engineering. She has contrib-uted to new construction design, thermal and hygrothermal modeling, forensic investigation, whole building energy simulation and several industry research studies. She holds a Master’s degree specializing in building science and energy modeling from the University of Waterloo.

High-Performance Windows: The Key to Passive HouseThis presentation explore crucial features of next-generation windows for cold climates and how detailed components and smart design of windows influence the overall performance.

Dr. Guido Wimmers (see opening plenary).

PASSIVE HOUSE AROUND THE WORLD 3:30 p.m. Friday in Salon A

New York City: 100,000 s.f. of PH by 2017This presentation surveys the rising interest in Passive House in New York City, examines key factors behind the surge in NYC projects, and explores initiatives for other regions to pursue.

Tomas O’Leary has been working in the field of Passive House since 2002 and is currently involved in more than 60 projects in the US. His firm, Passive House Academy, based in Ireland and NYC, is also accredited by PHI to Certify Pas-sive House buildings and to deliver PHI training for both Consultants and Tradespersons.

Passive House in ChinaPassive House has been promoted by government sources in China as one solution to the nation’s demand for more environmentally friendly build-ings. Though challenges persist, China represents a market opportunity for Passive House veterans seeking partnerships and knowledge exchange.

Ling Guo is Asia Director of the US-based Inter-continental Strategic Consulting Corp. and board member of VCV China – Chen Wei Group Limited, a real estate group. Ling Guo holds a MBA degree with dual majors in Finance Investment and Public Accounting Management, and is also a PhD candidate in Environment and Energy.

High Design Around the WorldAn overview of low-energy projects at the intersection of high performance and high design, this presentation focuses on cold climate Passive House design strategies.

Michael Eliason (see above).

COMPLIMENTARY STRATEGIES3:30 p.m. Friday in Salon C

What Passive House can Contribute to the Living Building ChallengeThe Living Building Challenge (LBC) includes a petal for Net Zero Energy as well as a distinct Net Zero Energy Building certification. This presen-tation outlines these certifications and explores synergies with the Passive House Standard.

Brad Liljequist is Technical Director of the Living Building Challenge. He directed development of zHome, the first LBC Net Zero Energy Building certified multifamily zero energy community in the US, as well as Issaquah Fire Station 72, the world’s most energy efficient fire station. He is a cum laude graduate of Georgetown University, studied theology at the University of St. Andrews, and holds a Master’s in environmental policy from the University of Washington.

Optimizing Net Zero Buildings with Passive and Active TechnologiesThis presentation presents results of a life-cycle cost study by the Smart Net Zero Energy Buildings Research Network. Findings include coupled variables, such as the south glass area and the amount of thermal mass, and why Net Zero de-sign should be optimized at the system level.

Diane Bastien is a Certified Passive House De-signer and a PhD candidate in Building Engineer-ing at Concordia University. Her doctoral research involves solar energy utilization in building-inte-grated solariums and greenhouses. She holds a B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Montreal.

LEED Canada for Homes: A scalable, simple LEED with a future PHPP optionThis overview of the LEED Canada for Homes Rat-ing System highlights some differences compared to the commercial versions of LEED, and explores how LEED Canada for Homes and Passive House could work together.

Chris Higgins is Program Leader for LEED Canada for Homes, a program of the Canada Green Build-ing Council. The program has registered more than 2,000 homes.

ACTIVE BANQUET7:00 p.m. Friday. Ticket required.

Integrity: What it is, and why it is critical to our future What is the public perception of our industry? What do our potential customers think we are selling them? How did we get this way, and where can we expect to go in the future? What are the responsibilities that each of us in the industry has? How can Passive House lead the way?

Henry Gifford is a mechanical system designer with 31 years of experience. His best work is done with architect Chris Benedict. Together they have designed more than 70 multifamily buildings, none of which cost more than code minimum construction.

AFFORDABLE ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE

TOOLS & TECHNIQUES9:00 a.m. Saturday in Salon A.

A tool to import Trimble SketchUp Geometry into the Passive House Planning Package DesignPH is a plugin for Trimble Sketchup devel-oped for the Passive House Institute. It provides a 3D interface for entering building geometry into PHPP. DesignPH simplifies the process of entering data into PHPP and provides preliminary feedback on performance before exporting to PHPP to fine-tune the model.

David Edwards is the developer of designPH and a Certified Passivhaus Consultant. Based in London, UK, he provides energy modelling using PHPP and thermal bridge analysis. He studied architecture at Centre for Alternative Technology.

Passive House EconomicsThis session presents results of CanPHI research into cost-benefit of six Canadian Passive House projects. Economic analysis of relevant “Net Zero” strategies are examined, including a comparison of radical conservation versus current renewable energy systems. The presentation also reviews a Life Cycle Cost Analysis tool being developed by the international Passive House community for rapid, accurate cost comparisons of energy upgrade options on any project.

Malcolm Isaacs is a co-founder of the Canadian Passive House Institute. In 2005 he designed and built the first house in Canada using PHPP and Passive House principles. Isaacs has taught the international Certified Passive House Designer course since 2010, and he is currently developing affordable, prefabricated Passive House solutions for clients in the Ottawa area.

The Ins and Outs of PH CertificationThis presentation details the Passive House certi-fication process, including criteria and documen-tation requirements.

Andrew Peel is the only Canadian-based Passive House certifier accredited by the Passive House Institute in Germany, where he formerly worked.

Sandra Rohler is a certified Passive House Designer and Passive House Tradesperson, who has worked as an architect in Germany.

TECHNOLOGY & COMPONENTS9:00 a.m. Saturday in Salon C.

CLT + PH = Passive Passion Passion for new structural solutions combined with the desire to minimize energy footprint creates Passive Passion. This presentation traces Malczyk’s personal journey from his first (unsuc-cessful) attempt to build a Passive House, through learning from the Europeans, to residing in the first Certified Passive House residence in Canada. The talk concludes with a look at the future.

PASSIVE HOUSE NORTH 2013

SATURDAY SEPT. 28 TOOLS & TECHNIQUES TECHNOLOGY & COMPONENETS 1.5 CORE AIBC LU’s 1.5 CORE AIBC LU’s

9:00 David Edwards Robert Malczyk A tool to import Trimble The Use of Cross-Laminated Timber SketchUpGeometryintoPHPPinPassiveHouseConstruction

9:30: Malcolm Isaacs Nabih Tahan Passive House Economics Life Cycle Tower One: How to Build in Canada Wood Midrise at One Floor per Day

10:00 Andrew Peel & Sandra Rohler Graham Finch QualityAssuranceandthe OptimizingThermalBridgesin InsandOutsofPHCertificationConcreteConstruction

COFFEE BREAK PASSIVE HOUSE IN CANADA TECHNOLOGY & COMPONENTS1.5 CORE AIBC LU’s 1.5 CORE AIBC LU’s

11:00 Lucie Langlois Monte Paulsen ‘ MasionPassiveinQuebec ALooseHistoryofAirTightness 11:30 Passive House Pecha Kucha Barry Stephens MarkBernhardt(Saanich,BC)High-performance LydiaDurfeld(Whistler,BC) HeatRecoveryVentilation StefanSchneider(Langley,BC)

LUNCH BREAK

AFFORDABILITY PLENARY

13:30 Tim McDonald HowtoBuildAffordablePassiveHousemultifamilyHousing

14:00 Henry Gifford HowtoGetaBuildingMechanicalSystemthatActuallyWorks

14:30 Wolfgang Feist HowPassiveHouseisFuelingaRevolutioninAffordability

COFFEE BREAK

CLOSING PLENARY: Putting Passive House into Action

15:30 Sadhu Johnston How Vancouver will Become the Greenest City by 2020

15:45 Tomas O’Leary HowCities,ProvincesandNationsareNurturingPassiveHouse

16:00 Bronwyn Barry BeaconsofHope:CitiesHoldthePowertoImplementPassiveHouse

16:15 Panel Discussion SadhuJohnston,TomasO’Leary,BronwynBarry,WolfgangFeist

17:00 Closing Remarks

Robert Malczyk is a co-founder of Equilibrium Consulting Inc. He’s worked on more than 600 projects including the Art Gallery of Ontario Galleria Italia with architect Frank Gehry. Malczyk is a longstanding member of the O86 Engineering Design in Wood code committee, and a member of the recently formed CLT code committee. He holds a Master’s degree from Warsaw Technical University.

Life Cycle Tower One: How to Build Wood Midrise at One Floor Per Day This presentation describes Life Cycle Tower ONE, an eight-story wood office building built to the Passive House Standard with wall components produced off-site and assembled in eight days.

Nabih Tahan is an architect based in California and Austria. He is credited with introducing the Passive House Standard to California with the retrofit of his Berkeley home in 1992. He rep-resents Cree Buildings, an Austrian firm that has developed a system approach to designing and constructing high-performance buildings.

Optimizing Thermal Bridges in Concrete ConstructionConcrete balconies and exposed slab edges represent some of the largest thermal bridges in multi-storey buildings, creating difficulties in achieving energy code compliance and contribut-ing to high building energy use, moisture issues, and poor thermal comfort. The presentation presents the results of a study of slab edges and balconies, along with practical advice to address these large thermal bridges.

Graham Finch is a Principal and Research Engineer with RDH Building Engineering in Van-couver. He leads RDH’s building science research group, where he has helped develop industry guidelines for durable building enclosures and energy efficiency in buildings. Finch also teaches building science at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

PASSIVE HOUSE IN CANADA 11:00 a.m. Saturday in Salon A.

Maison Passive in QuebecThis presentation highlights a proposal to develop a French section Maison Passive to facilitate Passive House education in Quebec, where timid standards have influenced building performance. This session also reviews a Passive House project in the Saguenay region.

Lucie Langlois founded Alias Architecture and is a Certified Passive House Designer. She is interested in urban development as well as ap-proaches to very high energy efficiency. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Montreal.

Passive House Pecha KuchaMark Bernhardt on the Bernhardt Passive Home. Lydia Dürfeld on the Rainbow Passive House. Stefan Schneider on digital prefabrication.

TECHNOLOGY & COMPONENTS11:00 a.m. Saturday in Salon C.

A Loose History of Air Tightnes: Why we care, where we seal, how we testThis presentation surveys the significance of air-tightness in high-performance buildings, reviews tactics for constructing airtight buildings, and explains how the Passive House test differs from other blower door tests.

Monte Paulsen models building energy use and performs airtightness testing for Red Door Energy Advisors in Vancouver. He provides market-based certifications such as EnerGuide for New Houses and ENERGY STAR™ for New Homes, and consults to Passive House projects.

Heat Recovery Ventilation in a Passive House: How HRVs work and how they are certifiedThis presentation reviews the types of HRVs and ERVs currently available, explains the basics of heat recovery ventilation, discusses the differ-ences between PHI certification and HVI testing/certification, and looks at the importance of commissioning in Passive House systems.

Barry Stephens has trained on ventilation technology in Switzerland, Holland and Germany. He’s worked at Zehnder America for 14 years, and introduced the Zehnder ComfoSystems to the North American market.

AFFORDABILITY PLENARY1:30 p.m. Saturday in Salons A-B-C.

How to Build Affordable Passive House Multi-Family Housing This presentation catalogues Onion Flats’ commit-ment to rethink the way we design, develop and construct buildings in the 21st century. Included in the presentation are the Belfield Townhouses (the first Passive House project in Pennsylvania) the Stables Townhouses (27 units) and Ridge Flats, a 146-unit project destined to be the largest Passive House project in the US.

Tim McDonald is a licensed architect, certified Passive House Consultant, tradesman and Presi-dent of Onion Flats LLC. He is an Associate

Professor of Architecture at Temple University and has been practicing and teaching simultane-ously for 20 years.

How to Get a Building Mechanical System that Actually WorksHow to extract much better heating and cooling system designs from your engineers. How to choose a system type to optimize comfort, floor area, installation cost, simplicity, equipment cost, acoustics, modeled energy savings, and measured energy saving. And how to avoid running into trouble with codes and the green police.

Henry Gifford (see Active Banquet).

How Passive House is Fueling a Revolution in AffordabilitySustainable energy sources are widely dispersed, have a low energy density and are not necessarily available when we need them most. This is why today’s energy needs are covered, to a large extent, by fossil energy. However, if we manage to reduce our energy demand to a sustainable low level, covering our demands with renewable energy will become feasible and affordable.

Dr. Wolfgang Feist (see Opening Plenary).

PASSIVE HOUSE IN ACTION3:30 p.m. Saturday in Salons A-B-C.

How Vancouver will become the Greenest City by 2020

Sadhu Johnston is Deputy City Manager of the City of Vancouver, which aims to become the greenest city in the world by 2020. He previously worked as the Chief Environmental Officer of Chicago, and as Executive Director of the Cleve-land Green Building Coalition. Johnston was born in the United Kingdom and educated at Oberlin College.

How Cities, Provinces and Nations are Nurtur-ing Passive House

Tomas O’Leary (see Friday)

Beacons of Hope: Cities and the Opportunity to Implement Passive House at Scale

Bronwyn Barry (see Friday)

AFFORDABLE ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE

All-day Thermal Bridge Calculation Course PresentedbyAndrewPeelattheWestinBayshore. Separate registration required.

8:30 Living Building Project Tour SFUDaycareandVanDusenBotanicalGardenVisitorCentre. Companion event by Cascadia Green Building Council.

SUNDAY SEPT. 29

PASSIVE HOUSE NORTH 2013 SPONSORS

PARTNERS