PHA Passive Goes Prefab 2021 Download

PREFAB 2021
Climate-Conscious Building
PASSIVE GOES
PREFAB
TABLE OF CONTENTS www.passivehouseaccelerator.com 1
CONTENTS
5 Index of Sponsors
5 Editorial
PROFILES IN PREFABRICATION
6 BC Passive House 34 Holzraum System
8 Bensonwood 38 N.A. Structures
12 B.Public 40 New Frameworks
18 Build With Nature 42 Phoenix Haus
20 Build SMART 44 Quantum Passivhaus
22 Collective Carpentry 48 Simple Life Homes
26 Ecocor 50 Stich Consulting & Design
28 Element5 52 StructureCraft
30 GO Logic 54 TAG
Editor and Publisher: Mary James

Marketing Director: Tamara Melnik
Art Director: Leanne Maxwell
Staff Writers: Jay Fox, Sydney Gladu
Contributing Writers: Ilka Cassidy, Matheo Durfeld, Angie Horner-Xerri,

Lorne Kelly, Shannon Pendleton, Bonnie Schwartz, Bruce Snider, Travis Toole
Cover image: Photo courtesy of Phoenix Haus
Accord, NY Passive House | North River Architecture & Planning

Copyright © 2021 Passive House Accelerator. All rights reserved. No part
of this publication may be reproduced without written permission.
Your Passive House Window Experts Disclaimer: All Passive House technical content and data in this publica-
tion is based on information provided by the respective architects, builders,
consultants, certifiers, designers, and fabricators. Passive House Accelerator,
publication sponsors, and any persons working on their behalf, are excluded
America’s European from any liability, particularly for possible damages, that might result from the
use of any information herein.
Window Company
(top to bottom) Photos by Trent Bell; Build With Nature and
303-578-0001 | zolawindows.com EcoCocon; Kate Russell Photography; Collective Carpentry
LEADERS
LEADERS USE THE
THE BEST
BEST
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Our new revolutiony mechanical concept:
Prefab mechanical units
It’s a revolutionary mechanical concept: a complete all-in-one HVAC/D prefab unit.
Perfect for multifamily buildings (one unit/apt.), Passive House single dwellings and ADUs, incorporating in “One Box”
with no outdoor units:
» 2-Stage High Capacity Dehumidifier

» Air Source Heat Pump for Heating and Cooling
» HEPA Medical-Grade Air Filtration (MERV 15, ASHRAE 170)
» Smart Balanced Fresh Air Ventilation with highest heat recovery in America
e B o x
On C / D
H VA
Prefa
b Mech
an ical U
nits
1 Save the planet and precious time with faster and simpler installations:
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NO long ductwork needed across an entire building with instead localized/unitized (per apartment) ductwork;
THE SOLITEX MENTO DIFFERENCE

NO outdoor unit and no or very little fire dampers required.
THE SOLITEX MENTO DIFFERENCE

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2 Better And Unique Results: IAQ
CONTINOUS,
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PASSIVE HOUSEAIRTIGHTNESS AND WEATHER
LEADERS, ECOCOR, CONTROL.
RELY ON SOLITEX THE ACTIVELY
MEMBRANES FOR Better IAQ and better comfort from state-of-the-art intelligent indoor climate management using advanced algorithms;
VAPOR-OPEN, MONOLITHIC TEEE LAYER Automatic bathroom ventilation feature helping to protect against mold and wall decay over time during showers;
CONTINOUS, DURABLE AIRTIGHTNESS AND FOUND
WEATHERIN CONTROL.
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THE ACTIVELY
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4 PASSIVE HOUSE ACCELERATOR // Prefab 2021
EDITORIAL
I
first learned about Energiesprong, an industrialized ap- Passive House-quality builds more attainable from coast
proach to retrofits, at a 2014 PHI conference, and I was to coast.
awestruck by the speed—just 7-10 days to renovate a A range of manufacturers are stepping up to meet
row house using prefabricated panels! Practically science the demand for these high-performance products, from
fiction! Fast forward to now, and that rate seems a bit large pre-existing firms that have adapted some of their
prehistoric, as technological improvements have brought product lines to new companies exclusively fabricat-
the retrofit time per row house down to one day. I was ing Passive House panels and, in some cases, entire
almost equally impressed then by what Jules Beckers residences. Although clustered in the Northwest and
STITCH CONSULTING of Teeken Beckers Architecten told me when we were Northeast of the continent, there’s a decent sprinkling
BC PASSIVE HOUSE
Pemberton, & DESIGN talking about how this approach could be picked up by of firms in the middle as well. No matter where you are
British Columbia Invermere, British Columbia N.A. STRUCTURES housing companies throughout the Netherlands: “As the building, there are firms that will deliver to your area.
Levis, Quebec
machines required to cut and assemble prefab wall and In what is a hopeful sign for our planet, many of the
TAG COLLECTIVE CARPENTRY
Invermere, British Columbia QUANTUM NEW GO LOGIC roof elements can be found in many existing window companies featured in this issue are operating at full
Squamish, PASSIVHAUS FRAMEWORKS Belfast, Maine
factories, expanding the production of prefabricated ele- steam and have expansion plans in the works. And, some
British Columbia STRUCTURECRAFT Minden, Ontario Burlington,
Vermont ECOCOR ments would be relatively simple.” of those expansion plans include producing non-load-
Abbotsford, SIMPLE LIFE HOMES Searsmont, While not exactly simple here in North America, bearing panels suitable for retrofits—a key ingredient in
British Columbia Cobourg, Ontario Maine
the production of prefabricated Passive House-quality stepping up retrofits and cutting carbon emissions from
ELEMENT5 BENSONWOOD
Toronto, BUILD WITH Walpole, structural panels has been expanding tremendously in existing buildings.
Ontario NATURE New Hampshire recent years. That’s great news, because the use of pre- Here’s a toast, in our first publication with Passive
Freehold,
New York HOLZRAUM fabricated elements can bring many benefits, from more House Accelerator, to 2021 being so much better than
SYSTEM predictable quality and cost to less waste to shorter 2020. As always, a big thank you to our sponsors who
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania construction times. In short, prefabrication is making make all our work possible.
—Mary James, Director of Publications
PHOENIX HAUS
Grand Junction, BUILD SMART
Colorado Lawrence, Kansas
B.PUBLIC
Santa Fe,
New Mexico
INDEX OF SPONSORS
475 High Performance Building Supply 2 Minotair 3
Alpen High Performance Products 37 Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US 11
PREFAB LOCATIONS
Baxt-Ingui Architects 10 Partel 17
Brooklyn Solar Works 55 RDH Building Science 24
Building Energy Exchange 37 Sto Corp. 25
Innotech Windows + Doors 31 Zola Windows 1
that the team is encouraged and supported to excel and

expand their talents through mentorship, education, and
training sessions. BCPH’s location in Pemberton has of-
fered a unique opportunity to create a multicultural team
with employees from around the world, including Canada,
Australia, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. These
employees bring with them skills and techniques from all
of their home countries, exposing our team to techniques
used around the world.
The expertise and experience behind BCPH’s team
makes it possible to work hand-in-hand with each proj-
ect team to find solutions that meet a project’s design,
structural, and budget requirements, allowing even the
most challenging designs to be realized on-site. BCPH has
brought to fruition a broad range of projects, including
new construction, high profile architecturally oriented
ones, and those with limited budgets. No matter the size
or budget of a project, the BCPH team prides itself in de-
livering a cost-effective, quality-oriented product.
—Matheo Dürfeld
Matheo Dürfeld is CEO of BC Passive House.
Photos: David McColm Photography (left); Kristen McGaughey Photography (below); Finn Saarinen (top right);
Michael Baier (bottom right)
Pemberton, British Columbia
BC PASSIVE HOUSE
BC PASSIVE HOUSE (BCPH) IS A Construction drawings are done in-house using Cadwork
PREFABRICATION COMPANY SPECIALIZING design software. Cadwork links our shop drawings to
robotic wood-cutting equipment. This technology offers
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HIGH-
unprecedented design and economic opportunities and
PERFORMANCE PANELIZED BUILDING places BCPH at the forefront of the newly emerging mar-
SYSTEMS AND SPECIALIZED STRUCTURAL ket for precision timber construction. The ability to create
PANELS, including those using cross-laminated 3D drawings assists in developing concepts, increasing
precision, creating accurate pricing, identifying potential
timber (CLT), dowel-laminated timber (DLT),
problems and solutions prior to construction, and facili-
and nail-laminated timber (NLT) heavy timber tating coordination and timing between different trades
packages. BCPH brings its expertise in Passive on-site, as well as optimizing materials for less waste.
House construction to every project. Working out BCPH’s team is composed of expert tradespeople,
including master carpenters who are highly skilled in all
of a 38,000-ft2, state-of-the-art processing facility
aspects of construction, from project management to
allows fabrication to occur in a controlled building framing, heavy timber work, sustainable construction
environment, increasing precision, quality control, techniques, building science, code compliance, and draft-
and efficiency. ing. BCPH’s commitment to skills development ensures
Walpole, New Hampshire
BENSONWOOD
TEDD BENSON FOUNDED Today, the firm completes 100–150 homes annually with its
internal design team and in collaboration with partner firms.
BENSONWOOD IN 1973 AFTER A
The firm produces panelized enclosure and timber compo-
STINT IN WOODWORKING. Initially nents for an additional 100 projects each year. Though the
sparked by his attraction to New company typically distributes in the Northeast and mid-
England-style timber frame homes Atlantic region of the U.S., they have delivered prefabricated
that had lasted centuries, he started components to every state in the U.S, as well as to Canada,
England, and even Japan.
the company as an antidote to the Coming out of the 2008 recession Bensonwood saw a
poor quality of home construction that growing demand for predictable costs for home construc-
had become status quo throughout tion and smaller homes—typically no more than 2,800
the country. square feet. By applying research and development from
Bensonwood’s OpenBuilt enclosure system and decades of
home design, the company launched Unity Homes in 2012,
which produces predesigned prefabricated homes intended
to achieve Passive House levels of performance. About
three years ago Bensonwood announced its Tektoniks
Advanced Building Components line so that other building
professionals can easily design and build with Bensonwood’s
standard building enclosure system and timber processing.
A large portion of the company’s custom prefabrication
projects are single-family detached homes whose lead times
average around 6 months. “When we collaborate with other Photos by James Salomon
architects the lead time is a bit longer, due to the learn-
ing curve but, once the team understands the system and
the benefits of our 3D modeling, the time is reduced,” says
Doug Reitmeyer, project development manager, who adds,
“The barriers for entry aren’t difficult.” The firm can act as
a design/build consultant to tailor a specific design to the
Tektoniks system and can provide estimating services for a
general contractor.
Tektoniks building enclosures have also been used for
a variety of multifamily and institutional projects. “The
predictable cost for construction is one great asset of the
prefabrication process, specifically when tackling multifam-
ily housing,” Reitmeyer points out. “The team has found
extended lead times can whittle down costs and align the
projects with Passive House goals by using precise construc-
tion methods.”
Given its history, it is perhaps unsurprising that Benson-
wood emphasizes the use of wood-based products. Their
prefabricated homes are insulated with cellulose and their
facility is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to
process FSC products, which are used regularly. “We not only
focus on high performance but also on long-term sustain-
ability,” notes Reitmeyer.
—Mary James
We are a proud supporter of
Passive House Accelerator ANY DESIGN. ANY BUILD
WE PERFORM.
Photos by Peter Pierce
Build Better with Mitsubishi Electric HVAC Systems

www.metahvac.com/performance-builder
Photo by Kat Alves, courtesy of Fine Homebuilding
Santa Fe, New Mexico IF EVER THERE WERE A TIME TO ADDRESS B.Public’s Passive House-quality prefabricated wall, roof, effectively and to respond to any materials, systems, and
B.PUBLIC
THE HOUSING SHORTAGE, CLIMATE CRISIS, and floor panels are designed to speed construction, ensure construction questions that arise.
AND REDUCTION IN SKILLED LABOR WITH quality craftsmanship, and reduce a building’s energy By using both the panelized system and licensed designs,
consumption by up to 90% over its lifetime, while utilizing fees for designing a home to Passive House standards can
A COORDINATED, DISRUPTIVE SOLUTION,
recycled and petroleum-free materials. “When you consider be reduced by approximately 75%, according to Dillman,
NOW IS THE TIME. That is the raison d’être behind that 40 percent of all pollution is caused by the construction given that the services of an architect and Passive House
B.Public, a recently launched, Santa Fe, New and running of buildings, it is urgent that we change the way consultant could be circumvented. “I like to make the com-
Mexico-based public-benefit corporation designed that we build,” says Chief Operating Officer Lagarde, an im- parison to Sears home kits,” Dillman says, referring to the
to change the status quo in building by offering passioned documentary filmmaker who felt a loud personal simple, modern, mail-order home designs that were sold
call several years ago to address climate and social change by Sears, Roebuck and Co. and were popular between 1908
prefabricated, high-performance, environmentally when she saw that the country’s leadership was doing the and 1940. “We offer the home plans and can help custom-
friendly building products and services. It opposite. She initiated a series of in-depth conversations ers order all of the materials they would need to build the
was formed by Edie Dillman, Jonah Stanford, with Stanford and Dillman, decades-long friends, around homes, creating high-quality, long-lasting structures,”
and Charlotte Lagarde, a trio of partners with launching a company that could move the needle on social Dillman states.
and environmental concerns in meaningful ways. While B.Public’s materials offerings are relegated to
complementary skills gleaned from a broad array
Stanford, who has been designing houses to Passive floor, roof, and wall components, the firm has also invested
of creative and innovative sectors. House standards since he took the country’s first Passive in the engineering of attachments. “For example, we have
House training in 2008, recognized long ago that a build- created details for foundations and roof options that archi-
ing envelope’s thermal integrity is critical. “I learned in that tects can use with our plans—supportive details that can
training to design from the outside in,” says Stanford, the help them get where they need to go,” Dillman says. “And
company’s chief technology officer. B.Public’s easy-to-as- because Jonah has been building to Passive House standards
semble system of 49 off-the-shelf, prefabricated wall, roof, for so long, we can direct people to which windows and
and floor panels are available in a wide range of standard tapes and so forth to use, as well as suggest how to screw or
dimensions and several different R-values to account for nail everything together, and at what intervals, and so on,”
different climates, allowing a broad swath of builders and she explains, adding, “We’re really offering a soup-to-nuts
developers—B.Public’s partners—to create high-perfor- service that includes education, along with our offering
mance houses with cost predictability. of specific pre-manufactured building components and
“What we have done is lower the barrier for builders designs.”
and developers in order to allow them to reach the perfor- Given both the global climate crisis and the extreme
mance standards that only custom-designed houses could housing shortage facing the country today, B.Public’s
aspire to achieve up until now,” says Dillman, the company’s founders believe it is irresponsible to build anything but
chief executive officer, adding, “We are trying to make this long-lasting, highly energy-efficient, comfortable homes
technology accessible so that it can be much more widely that make use of non-polluting materials and contribute
adopted.” The panelized building blocks of floor, wall, and little to landfills. “Ultimately, we are a solutions-oriented
roof components work together to create a super-insulating company,” Dillman says. “If we continue to build the way
envelope ready to be finished with interior and exterior we have been to meet the current housing demand, we are
finishes, obviating the need for complex modeling and al- deepening the environmental crisis, not solving it. For low-
lowing the highly efficient envelope to be assembled easily rise construction with square corners and 10-foot ceilings,
with a conventional building crew onsite. we have created building blocks that will allow anyone to
Use of the system also allows builders and developers a achieve high performance, comfort, and sustainability.”
quick and accurate cost estimate for the exterior structure “Our intent is to offer maximum flexibility with perfor-
of the building at the very outset of a project. “Right off mance and cost predictability,” Dillman continues. “To that
the bat we can pull together a model of a floor plan, count end, we are seeking partners all over the continent to do so.
up the modules, and give an immediate estimate,” says Builders are our heroes. We are looking to develop partner-
Dillman. “So, from the get-go, you have a pretty good idea ships with those who care as much about these issues as we
what the costs of that envelope are going to be.” do, partnerships around change, around finding new path-
Along with the panel system, B.Public is offering licensed ways and new avenues. What we want to do is communicate
home designs with a complete set of construction drawings that there are options.”
that will allow a home to meet Passive House standards. — Bonnie Schwartz
Technical assistance is available to help homeowners, Bonnie Schwartz writes about art and architecture and lives
architects, builders, and developers utilize the panel system in New Mexico.
B.PUBLIC CASE STUDY
Contemporary
Home Amid
Majestic Views
N
estled into the resort mountain community of
Taos Ski Valley in northern New Mexico sits a
contemporary passive structure in the final stages
of completion. Designed by Needbased Inc. of Santa Fe,
New Mexico, the building sits on a tight, sloping lot along
a narrow, winding, dead-end road bordered by a mountain Photos by Kate Russell Photography
stream. Sitting at an elevation of 10,000 feet, the site ex-
periences snowy, wintry conditions for much of the year.
Considering the area’s long, cold winters, Needbased
knew that an accelerated construction schedule would be
critical to the project achieving a weathered-in thermal en- Needbased turned to Collective Carpentry of Invermere, The statuesque home, clad in fashionable winter white
velope within a single building season. To address this issue, British Columbia to investigate having the entire thermal cement board, exists on three levels, cascading down its
envelope prefabricated and panelized. Using prefabri- sloped site, making some of the panel joinery onsite and
cated assemblies was appealing for several reasons. “As the challenges of creating a perfectly square building
there are very few tradespeople in northern New Mexico tricky, according to Collective Carpentry co-owner Jan
who have undergone Passive House training, we turned to Pratschke. “What made it possible was the way that all of
off-site construction of critical building components,” says the stakeholders worked together to make it happen,” he
Needbased’s principal Jonah Stanford, “which increased says. “It required all of our tools and skills.”
construction quality and gave the project much needed Another difficult—though absolutely essential—aspect
predictability in terms of the construction schedule.” of the design is the wraparound window at the back of
Getting the panels to the difficult-to-access lot and the house that weighs about 800 pounds. A large sec-
staging them for installation during a short building tion of glazing has become a signature element of many
window presented a plethora of logistical challenges for Needbased custom homes. “Corner windows are always
the teams involved, even with the efficiencies of prefab- structurally challenging,” Pratschke says. “It is difficult to
rication. Still, the advantages of using the prefabricated coordinate the idea of continuous airtightness and having
panelized building system far outweighed the challenges, the required structure in the panels to support that weight,
considering that the entire highly insulated thermal enve- all the while fabricating a panel that is of a shippable size.
lope was able to be installed and weathered-tight within a What we ended up doing was adding a structural compo-
couple of weeks. nent to those corners to add more integrity to the assem-
After several months of co-design between Collec- bly.” The oversized window had to be winched into place,
tive Carpentry and Needbased and a couple of months of six inches by six inches, resetting the cable at every stage
shop fabrication, the 15,000 cubic feet of insulated panels without dropping the heavy glass. “There were a lot of
required for the 2,800-ft2 house were sent from British Co- sweating, grunting men,” Pratschke laughs.
lumbia to New Mexico on four 53-foot-long trailers. Once Generous glazing expanses bring majestic views of
arrived, they had to be stored considerably lower down in the surrounding mountainscape into the house, as well
the valley, as the large tractor trailers couldn’t make it up as admit plenty of light indoors, even though the house is
the home’s narrow, steep road, in addition to the fact that on a fairly shaded lot. While many of the home’s windows
there was not sufficient space to store all of the panels at are large in scale, there are at least two operable windows
the building site. Smaller trucks ferried groups of compo- per room, ensuring pleasant cross breezes. Comfortable
nents stage by stage as the envelope went up. indoor air quality is otherwise achieved 24 hours per day
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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TECHNICAL PROJECT DETAILS The same team that worked on this home, named Maximum protection against humidity in the building
FLUID FLUID
10K, affectionately, for its elevation, fashioned another, Internal & External Use
envelope, through the smart-variable Sd-value

Panel Build-ups
wall to floor /
wall to ceiling /
FLEXIBLE, airtight,
larger house using a similar panelized system along the
WALL TO TIMBER /
general construction joints
smart vapour
R56 final, R36 from CC shop same road about a year after 10K’s envelope went up.
control layer
10KG
Flexible, continuous airtightness
2x6 structural framing (insulated later by site crew
after subtrades) Given the experience they shared together building the Durable airtight connections
5/8” Plywood structural sheathing, also taped air first house, the coordinated group was able to leverage
tightness layer Fast and easy application
Walls a common language and knowledge base for the second.
2 9 ¹/₂” I joist insulation Cavity w/ Dense packed
2,700 ft “We had all the people and pieces in place,” explains Designed to achieve the Passive House target of 0.6 ACH
cellulose
5/8” vapour open Insulation board sheathing Pratschke, “so were able to build upon our processes,
Vapour open weather resistant barrier systems, and friendships to build the subsequent home
1x4 (³/₄” depth) Rainscreen strapping / siding even more efficiently.”
installation furring — Bonnie Schwartz
R 60 final and from CC shop
³/₄” Tongue and Groove structural sheathing,
also taped air tightness layer
RELATED VARA™ SYSTEM PRODUCTS
Floors 16” I joist structural framing w/ 16” dense packed TEAM
1,600 ft2 cellulose insulation
Vapour open reinforced weather resistant barrier Designer: Needbased
1x4 (³/₄” depth) strapping / soffit installation furring General Contractor: Magee Design
Project Manager: Snowline Build Group
R100 final, R60 from CC shop
1x4 strapping / roofing installation furring
Prefabricated Panels and Installation: Collective Carpentry
5/8” vapour open insulation board sheathing CC US Installation Coordinator: Tumason Builds
16” structural framing w/16” dense packed cellulose Foundation and Site Preparation: Dominic J. Duran
insulation Construction
5/8” structural sheathing, also taped air tightness layer Structural Engineer: Hands Engineering LLC
VARA PLUS VARA SEAL VARA SEAL X
Roofs
by others: additional framing layer to accommodate Smart Vapor Control Membrane for Moisture Variable Airtight Adhesive Tape Smart Air and Windtight Adhesive Tape for
mechanical and more insulation enhanced thermal insulation all year round for sealing membrane overlaps windows, doors and corners, with double
There were also some uninsulated floor volumes, as sided adhesive zone
Other well as lighter framed walls, glulam and timber
posts and beams. PASSIVE HOUSE METRICS
Shipping 4 trucks, 82 panels Heating demand 5.06 kBtu/ft2yr
Cooling demand 0.00 kBtu/ft2yr
Airtightness: Goal = 0.6@ACH50; Primary energy 19.01 kBtu/ft²yr
Performance Test result @ prefab and window install = 0.35@ACH50 Air leakage 0.84 ACH50
Test result @ Finish = 0.84@ACH50 Partel produces and supplies a broad range of advanced For more tech documentation, specialized technical advice,
Save energy. Build smart.
airtight systems and thermal bridging solutions that and free WUFI condensation risk analysis, visit:
address energy efficiency in any type of buildings. WWW.PARTEL.COM
Freehold, New York
BUILD
WITH
NATURE
BUILD WITH NATURE COMBINES THE BEST
OF PREFABRICATION AND PASSIVE HOUSE
BUILDING METHODS WITH ONE OF THE MOST
RENEWABLE, CARBON-SINKING MATERIALS Those ambitions are centered on a partnership that Peter
AVAILABLE—STRAW. The company has set Jensen, director of Build With Nature, formed with col-
high ambitions for itself: regenerating the North leagues and old friends at the Slovakian manufacturing
company, EcoCocon, to offer their proven straw-based
American construction economy in a way that
panels as a prefabricated option for builders and design-
bolsters ecological harmony. ers across the United States and Canada. Although the
EcoCocon product and building system, which is based on
rigorous testing, certifications, and hundreds of high-qual- Photos courtesy of Build With Nature and EcoCocon
ity builds in 21 countries, has grown in renown throughout
the world since 2010, the straw panels had never crossed
the Atlantic, until now.
Jensen, who is originally from Denmark, had spent the
previous 15 years passionately seeking and implementing filming process. Since its completion, the house has been
the most sustainable building practices in various climates sold and relocated—a task that was greatly simplified by
around the world. He is now living with his family in upstate its modular design that allowed for breaking down the
New York, harnessing his vision and hard-earned expertise building into six wall sections.
to create new opportunities for the U.S. market. “We are here to create an accessible way of build-
In the fall of 2019, getting right to work on Build With ing real cradle-to-cradle buildings, made from minimally
Nature’s mission, Jensen designed and built the first Eco- processed, locally sourced, and highly renewable mate-
Cocon prefab building in the United States. The 350-ft² rials,” says Jensen. “Our buildings will last for centuries
house was set up as a case study and spec home to offer and can be returned safely to nature after use, leaving a
a tangible domestic example of this innovative method. minimal ecological footprint. We want to show the world
Under the leadership and design direction of Jensen, the how well-known natural materials such as straw, wood,
project was organized as a cooperative effort of 18 dif- wood-fiber insulation, and clay can constitute the ele-
ferent companies, and was documented in a Discovery ments of environmentally friendly construction. We hold
Channel feature on the television show “Living off-Grid” the opinion that comfort, efficiency, and well-being should 1,046 square feet to 2,312 square feet, using the straw
(Season 9, Episode 8, Hudson Valley Retreat). be a natural choice. We aim to revolutionize the industry by panels. These designs have been optimized for efficient
This house, which was built for off-grid living, is so well delivering construction systems that can effectively create building and living and can be found on the company’s
insulated that it can be heated by the energy produced a world where a sustainable lifestyle is widely accessible, website along with product specifications and other
by a 3-kW PV system, which also supplies the rest of the giving people the means to realize their ideals of respon- case studies.
house’s electrical draw. The whole build was completed, sible, healthy, and energy-independent living.” —Travis Toole
foundation to finish, in 20 working days with a small crew Build With Nature has created a collection of kit-home Travis Toole is a consultant and project manager with Build
of carpenters, despite multiple interruptions during the TV designs, both one and two stories and ranging in size from With Nature.
Photos: ©2021 Google (far left); Greg Leskien, Zon Engineering (top left and right); CookMediaLLC (bottom left);
Build Smart (bottom right)
Lawrence, Kansas The company’s services begin with project estimat-
BUILD SMART
ing and design optimization and carry through to panel
assembly, quality assurance, and finally to construction
support. “We encourage architects to contact us in the
early stages of a project, so they can understand how to
minimize a project’s cost and avoid redesigns,” says Paul
Grahovac, vice president for new business development.
BUILD SMART WAS AN EARLY ENTRANT The firm’s structural panels are fully customizable
to suit the climate they will be installed in by vary-
IN THE FABRICATION OF PASSIVE
ing the thickness of the exterior EPS insulation layer.
HOUSE-QUALITY PANELS, HAVING BEEN While windows are optional, all of its wall panels
ESTABLISHED IN 2015 BY DAVID BOYER, to date have included them, and the windows used
are almost exclusively manufactured by Alpen High This success is at least partially due, Grahovac adds,
THE PRESIDENT OF PROSOCO. Since then,
Performance Products. to the fact that the process of screwing the panels
Build SMART has been involved in numerous together on site is simple enough that laborers can be
The airtight construction of Build SMART’s pan-
multifamily and single-family residential els makes hitting Passive House performance targets coached to do it correctly in short order. At one Penn-
builds—all of which have met Passive House easy, although the final installation of the panels is the sylvania affordable housing project built with the firm’s
performance levels. With its central location, responsibility of a local contractor. Still, as Grahovac panels, Grahovac notes, “Two unskilled laborers installed
points out, “At our first 52,000-ft2 building, it took one panels at a rate of 30-40 lineal feet per hour.” What-
Build SMART has delivered its airtight
blower door unit with a single fan in one doorway to ever the project size or complexity, Build SMART eases
prefabricated panels to project sites across immediately pressure up the building, and it beat the the process of delivering a high-performance building
North America, with most being shipped to the Passive House standard. And every single project since envelope by harnessing its own skilled crews to produce
eastern halves of the United States and Canada. has achieved that.” its high-quality standardized components.
—Mary James
To fabricate the wall, roof, and floor panels that the

company offers, the group first constructs a 3D model
of a project using Cadwork and then generates compre-
hensive shop drawings. Low-carbon materials are a high
priority. Locally sourced wood, when possible, is used
for the framing members, and the panels are insulated
with cellulose and wood-fiber board on the exterior. The
plywood sheathing doubles as the structural element and
the airtight layer and, in most wall build-ups, is located
mid-way between an open structural framing layer—
where mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services are
located—and the outer secondary insulating layer. The
wall panels are wrapped on the exterior with a weather-
resistant barrier membrane and finished with strapping—
ready for siding on site.
Collective Carpentry has constructed a variety of build-
ing types—a health center, a church, a fire hall—but most
of the structures it creates are single and multi-family resi-
dential. As for where it will deliver to, Pratschke says, “We
set no limitations on where we ship to.” Most shipments
go to sites within the western United States and Canada.
Pratschke has even brought panels as far south as New
Mexico. Because the panels are packed and shipped flat at
this point, windows are not yet included.
Invermere, British Columbia All of the group’s structures are tested for airtightness
and consistently hit the Passive House mark with room to
COLLECTIVE
spare. In fact, the majority of their projects would meet
all the Passive House performance targets, but not every
build does. “I don’t always have a say on which way the
building faces,” jokes Pratschke, “but we always advocate
CARPENTRY
for climate-appropriate levels of insulation and always
build to Passive House levels of airtightness.”
COLLECTIVE CARPENTRY, ORIGINALLY A

GENERAL CONTRACTING BUSINESS, MORPHED
INTO A PREFAB MANUFACTURING AND
CONSTRUCTION COMPANY SIX YEARS AGO after
a brutal winter in Invermere, British Columbia, where
the firm is based. “We were working through an Photos courtesy of Collective Carpentry
especially challenging winter, and we came to the
In 2020 Collective Carpentry formed Collective Build- With demand on the rise, Pratschke is looking to ex-
realization that this wasn’t sustainable for our bodies
ing Systems in order to service the growing market for pand into a larger facility. He is also contemplating adding
or for the materials we were working with,” says Jan multifamily construction. With this addition, the group on the capacity to produce complete modules or accesso-
Pratschke, co-owner and lead designer. now offers several pathways for incorporating the ben- ry dwelling units. “We have a talented crew, and it would
efits of prefab in institutional and commercial buildings, be cool to leverage their carpentry skills,” he states.
as well as residential ones. —Mary James
Nelson Street Passive House. Image courtesy of Henson Developments Ltd.
StoTherm® ci Mineral
Protected by Thermafiber.® Engineered by Sto.
RDH has consulted on or certified more than Developed in collaboration with Owens Corning to fuse the
70 Passive House projects, totaling four million acoustic, fire and thermal advantages of mineral wool with the
square feet. design flexibility and performance of Sto exterior wall systems.
Take a look inside StoTherm® ci Mineral wall systems:

Our projects include homes, student residences, affordable mid-rise, offices, www.stocorp.com/mineral
and luxury high-rise. We can deliver an unrivaled level of design expertise, risk
reduction, and cost minimization. Contact us to learn more about our modular
and prefabricated construction experience.
www.rdh.com
Sto® and StoTherm® are registered trademarks of Sto SE & Co. KGaA. ©2021 Owens Corning. All rights reserved.
Photos courtesy of Ecocor
Being able to achieve Passive House certification in such a

wide variety of climates is due to the designed-in flex-
ibility of Ecocor’s two panels: Ecocor Optima and Ecocor
Passive. The former has less insulation and is designed for
warmer climates, while the latter is built to endure even
the harshest of winters. Both can be modified to better fit
specific climates.
Corson notes that although Ecocor Passive is the com-
pany’s only certified Passive House component, projects
that use the Optima panels can achieve Passive House-
level performance. This is true of single-family homes in
Searsmont, Maine warmer climates, as well as multifamily buildings in places
ECOCOR
as far north as Pittsburgh. “Multifamily gives you more
carbon bang for the buck,” Corson points out.
While the bread and butter of Ecocor’s business con-
tinues to be single-family dwellings, it has also completed are warming to the model homes, but the bulk of the firm’s
multifamily and commercial projects, including a 60,000- work continues to be custom. In either case, not everyone
ECOCOR IS A MANUFACTURER OF ft² research facility. Corson recently started offering on the jobsite needs to understand all the principles of
PREFABRICATED NET-ZERO ENERGY AND predesigned homes, including a modestly sized accessory Passive House design; they simply need to follow instruc-
dwelling unit (ADU) with Viking triple-glazed windows that tions. These homes can be built in a little more than a week
PASSIVE HOUSE CERTIFIED HOMES BASED IN
achieves an R-40 performance for the roof and ceiling and consistently achieve impressive levels of airtightness:
THE BUCOLIC TOWN OF SEARSMONT, MAINE. and an R-37 performance for the walls and needs only a their worst blower door test in the field was 0.42 ACH50
Founded in 2009 by Chris Corson, Ecocor ¹/₂-ton mini split to keep comfortable. Corson is selling the and their best was 0.17 ACH50.
homes now can be found throughout the United ADU for the extremely reasonable price tag of $120,000. For those seeking to work with Ecocor on a custom
This model ADU does not meet Passive House standards home, it is best to contact them early in the process. “If
States. Though the majority of the firm’s projects
because, as Corson says, “The nature of the design just Passive House is the goal,” Corson says, “then we can inte-
are located in Maine and New England, they doesn’t allow for super-thick walls.” grate our wall systems into the project from day one. This
have shipped homes to as far away as Virginia, Ecocor’s model homes, however, can be built to the allows us to design our 3D model in tandem with schematic
Wyoming, Colorado, and even Florida. Passive House standard. According to Corson, consumers design, which makes everyone’s life a little easier.”
—Jay Fox
Toronto, Ontario
ELEMENT5
ELEMENT 5 HAS SUPPLIED MASS TIMBER
COMPONENTS AND FULLY PANELIZED SYSTEMS
FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE PROJECTS SINCE
COMMENCING OPERATIONS IN 2015. The
company’s recently completed expansion has
significantly increased production capacity, and the
growing team of 40+ employees completes about 40
projects each year. These projects range from single-
family homes to large commercial and municipal
buildings. Element5 also offers predesigned homes
and accessory dwelling units. A variety of Passive
House projects use Element5 components, and
several of the firm’s projects are designed to Passive
House standards each year. Photos courtesy of Element5
Element5 utilizes mass-timber products such as macro and

nano cross-laminated timber (CLT), nail-laminated timber
(NTL), and glued laminated timber (Glulam). For their
complete prefabricated building envelope, Element5 uses
cross-laminated insulated panels (CLIP). CLIPs have an in-
ternal CLT layer, vapor control layer, and wood-fiber or EPS
insulation. CLIPs are highly customizable. These panels can
be structural or non-structural components and support
off-site installed windows, doors, and cladding.
BOXX panels—composed of CLT with engineered joists House-level builds that lessen its customers’ carbon foot-
and optional insulation—are also frequently used by the print. The company has worked on notable projects such
Element5 team for structural floor and roof elements. as the Passive House-certified Living Libations commercial
These panels are custom designed for each project’s production lab and the Cardinal House, a single-family
unique structural needs, aesthetic look, building codes, predesigned home for First Nations people who live in
and acoustics. On-site lap joints or splines join panels at remote areas.
the seams and then are covered by membranes to ensure The team works out of two locations in eastern Canada.
the structure’s airtight assembly. The firm’s smaller manufacturing plant, which is about
Beyond prefabricated components and panel systems, 13,000 square feet, is located in Ripon, Quebec, one hour
the company also provides cost and design consulting, en- east of Ottawa. Its larger plant, which is 137,000 square
gineering, and assembly services. Element5 is committed feet, is located in St. Thomas, Ontario. The company has
to revolutionizing building by using sustainable products shipped components and panel systems across Canada and
like mass timber and advancing high-performance Passive the United States and can ship overseas as well.
—Sydney Gladu
Belfast, Maine
GO
LOGIC
“IF WE WANT TO TRANSFORM THE
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, AND I THINK
THAT’S NEEDED, PANELIZATION IS THE WAY
The territory GO Logic delivers to includes New England,
TO DO IT,” SAYS ALAN GIBSON, OWNER OF eastern New York, and parts of Pennsylvania. They have
GO LOGIC. His company produces predesigned fielded inquiries from all over, but because a GO Logic
GO Homes from the foundation to the finishes crew oversees the assembly of the shell package on site,
and also builds custom homes. “We try to do as they limit delivery to within a day’s drive from Belfast.
GO Logic produces wall, floor, and roof panels.
many projects as we can in the shop,” Gibson
The wall panels typically consist of a 2x8 stud wall with Photos by Trent Bell (top left and bottom left); Josh Gerritsen Media (above, top right, and bottom right)
notes, but as their panel production facility can
a sheathing layer and 6 inches of rigid wood-fiber on
handle a maximum of 10 homes annually, they the outside. Windows and doors are preinstalled in the
also construct homes on site. The firm is looking panels and almost always are made by Kneer Sud in
to expand into a larger facility in the next one to Germany. The on-site general contractor is responsible
two years. for running wiring through the open stud wall and then
insulating the cavity with blown-in cellulose.
Every shell that is sent from the facility is run we believe in exceeding
through airtightness testing. “We always get to the performance standards
Passive House standard,” says Gibson. Each prede-
signed home is modeled using WUFI-Passiv for the
site where it will be located. “All meet heat and cool-
ing load, heat and cooling demand, and airtightness
And so do our
targets,” he notes, adding, “But they might need PV to building partners.
meet the PHIUS source energy target.”
In addition to designing a larger facility, Gibson’s Innotech Windows + Doors delivers the
plans for 2021 include expanding into panelized manufacturing expertise and product
retrofits. He was involved in a feasibility study for performance required for your LEED® Platinum,
the renovation of a building owned by a local hous- net-zero energy and Passive House Certified
ing authority and hopes to see the project move from multi-family and single family projects.
concept to reality within the year. “The building has
a great form factor so it would not take a super-thick
panel to make the building Passive House certifiable,”
he points out.
—Mary James
Learn more about the Defender 88PH System at innotech-windows.com/passive-house
Innotecn_PHB Magazine Fall 2021 Ad_v1.indd 1 1/12/21 5:03 PM

The house itself is a lightly customized version of a over a broad geographical area to achieve the greatest
1,600-ft², 4-bedroom GO Home, which the clients chose benefit in both design and performance. The finished
for its compatibility with their active, outdoor family life. house, with its resilient, low-maintenance, superinsulated
Architect Alex Rosenthal worked with the owners to adapt building shell, represents an ideal solution for a year-round
the predesigned plan to their steeply sloping site, add- second home in a challenging northern climate. Its simple
ing a garage attached to the house by a covered walkway. building form shrugs off the weather, its thermal perfor-
Further modifications were subtle, consisting primarily of mance and indoor air quality provide exemplary occupant
shifting window locations to take best advantage of the comfort, and its interior finishes are both elegant and rug-
site’s mountain views. Careful site planning maximized ged. And, with the electricity generated by its rooftop PV
solar gain within the house while carving a series of level array, the building delivers near-zero energy performance.
outdoor living spaces from the rather vertical topography.
—Bruce Snider
The completed 3D design model was then used to Bruce Snider is a freelance writer and architectural
generate the shop drawings that guided the prefabrication designer based in mid-coast Maine.
of floor and wall panels in GO Logic’s fabrication plant in
Waldo, Maine. After delivering the panels to the site—with
windows, doors, and exterior insulation pre-installed—the
TEAM
company’s on-site crew assembled them into a weather-
tight building shell in two weeks, despite an intense Oc- Designer and Prefabricator: GO Logic LLC
tober snowstorm. Local general contractor Jon Boehmer, General Contractor: Jon Boehmer, Backcountry Construction
of Back Country Construction, then took over, following Structural Engineer: Albert Putnam and Associates
GO Logic’s plans and specifications to carry the project to
completion. The siding used was ³/₄-inch pine claps and PASSIVE HOUSE METRICS
shiplap from Hammond Lumber Belgrade mill, a local mill Heating demand 9.08 kBtu/ft2yr
that uses trees from its own managed forests in Maine. Cooling demand 0.99 kBtu/ft2yr
The process by which the house was planned and con- Site energy 5.04 kBtu/ft²yr
structed represents an innovative deployment of relatively Source energy 1,274 kWh/person-yr
scarce Passive House expertise and architectural talent Air leakage 0.02 cfm/ft2
GO LOGIC CASE STUDY

A family retreat in the mountains of western Maine Photos by GO Logic (left); Josh Gerritsen Media (below)
Maine
exemplifies how well that system works in practice. Like
every GO Home, this one began with a fully resolved base
design optimized for both Passive House performance
Mountain
and panelized prefabrication. Its frost-protected shallow
foundation employs GO Logic’s patented EPS insulating
foam forms, which remain in place after the pour, insulat-
Retreat
ing the slab to R-35. Exterior walls consist of 2x8 framing
filled with dense-pack cellulose insulation and 6 inches of
rigid mineral wool insulation outboard of the sheathing,
yielding an R-50 assembly. A truss space with 24 inches
G
O Logic broke new ground in North America by of loose-fill cellulose insulation provides R-80 at the roof.
producing architecturally outstanding Passive Continuous air sealing and triple-glazed windows and
House buildings at a cost that was competitive doors contributed to a blower door rating of 0.6 ACH50. A
with that of conventional code-compliant construc- high-performance HRV system rounds out the package.
tion. Having honed that expertise, the firm then set For clients within its home territory, GO Logic serves
out to develop a system for providing the same level as a design/build general contractor, providing a turn-key
of design integrity and building performance to clients project. This site was distant enough to qualify for the
and builders outside of the firm’s home territory on the firm’s hybrid model of project delivery, in which it con-
coast of Maine. The result was GO Home, a catalogue of structs a dried-in, insulated, blower-door-tested Passive
predesigned, prefabricated Passive House homes that House building shell and coordinates with a local general
GO Logic delivers cost-effectively to sites across the contractor, who executes the site work, foundation, and
Northeast by partnering with local builders. finish phases of the project under GO Logic’s direction.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
HOLZRAUM SYSTEM
HOLZRAUM SYSTEM SERVES AS A BRIDGE The heart of the firm’s consulting services lies
BETWEEN A DESIGN TEAM AND OFF- in its proprietary single-integrated manufactur-
ing model (S.I.M.M.™), an information hub that
SITE MANUFACTURING, ASSISTING
combines structural, building fabric, energy per-
ARCHITECTS AND BUILDERS TO CREATE formance, and mechanical systems design. Once a
EXTREMELY HIGH-PERFORMANCE project’s S.I.M.M.™ has been completed, Holzraum
BUILDING ENVELOPES. Established in System uses it to prepare a detailed set of geom-
etry drawings for review by the project's structural
2018 by Ilka Cassidy, Steve Hessler, and
engineer, architect, and builder to ensure these
David Hessler, the three principals bring drawings accurately represent the team’s design Photos by Kieliski Photographers; S.I.M.M.™ by Holzraum System (below)
extensive experience in passive design, intent and fabrication strategies. Once the draw-
Passive House consulting, heavy timber design, ings have been approved for fabrication, Holzraum
System creates machine files and factory instruc-
computer-aided manufacturing, and software
tions from the S.I.M.M.™ to initiate the off-site HOLZRAUM SYSTEM CASE STUDY
engineering to every project. manufacturing process.
Silvergreen PHIUS 2018+ standard, achieving net-zero energy sourced

only from renewable resources.
Unique History Meets Holzraum System was chosen to lead the project in ad-
dressing these most stringent building certifications while
High-Tech Fabrication also meeting the homes’ complex geometry. The firm
played multiple project roles. It supported and consulted
L
on the Passive House detailing, specifying a wall assem-
ocated outside Philadelphia, the Silvergreen resi-
bly that has a superior vapor profile and a low carbon
dence stands on the original site of the community
footprint and that could be optimized for manufacturing.
of Bryn Athyn, which was established in the early
Holzraum System also supported the entire team with
1890s by the Swedenborgian New Church society. Drawn
its S.I.M.M.™ (Single Integrated Manufacturing Model)
to this site for its topography and natural resources, the
throughout the design development and construction
residents established a community that included three
documentation phase.
distinctive residences, the Bryn Athyn Cathedral, and a
parkland designed by Olmsted, Olmsted and Eliot—all of
which were designated as a National Historic Landmark
District in 2008.
Architecturally, the new Silvergreen’s exterior reflects
the history, permanence, and low maintenance of the
neighboring historic buildings. The plan employs universal
design to anticipate generational changes and multiple
community uses over 20-year phases including aging in
place, live-in caregivers, event hosting, and community
fundraising. Silvergreen follows the philosophy of the
Living Building Challenge for carbon sequestering, locally
sourced, toxic free materials, and is slated to certify to the
HIGH PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS
Because
Experience
Matters
Alpen provides Passive House
solutions for multiple Panelized
and Prefabricated
manufacturers—RIGHT NOW
Alpen crafts the most insulating
windows manufactured on this
continent
Only Alpen provides award–
PHIUS winning ThinGlass options
NFRC Building
PHIUS PHI Full Green Made in
Listed Certified Frame Top 10 America
A S.I.M.M.™ is a holistic high-fidelity model that
virtually builds every component with its exact locations,
ing were installed within three weeks. Exact modeling
and execution made building this complex Passive House
R-11+ Product
303.834.3600
www.thinkalpen.com
combining structural, building fabric, energy perfor- not only possible but predictable in timing and cost.
mance, factory-specific manufacturing, and mechanical Intricate HVAC systems were installed seamlessly due to
system perspectives and aligns them with the project’s early virtual clash detection and chasing through floor
goals. Shop drawings, machine files, and installation and wall panels.
drawings were generated from the S.I.M.M.™, creating Enough cannot be said of the community, client, and
the exact built version of the virtual model. Future ad-
aptations of the residence were modeled and integrated
team who brought this unique design on a steep site
together through remote design and fabrication.
Build Your
into the panel design.
Holzraum System chose to work with the Baltimore-
—Ilka Cassidy, Holzraum System and
Shannon Pendleton, Sanderson Architectural
Knowledge
based panel manufacturer Blueprint Robotics to create
a foam-free, airtight, and vapor-open wall. This wall’s learn.be-exchange.org | learn@be-exchange.org BE-Ex Ed offers on-demand
unconventional layering combines the air control, vapor TEAM content on energy efficiency and
retarder, and structural sheathing layer in one product— Design Architect/Passive House Consultant: Sanderson high performance design. Earn
the taped Zip Sheathing—and places it on the inside Architectural
continuing education credits
of the 2x8 framing members. Dense-packed cellulose Architect of Record: Re:Vision Architecture
inside the stud cavity is held back by factory-applied Carbon Smart Panelized Wall System:
while learning how to master your
Steico wood-fiber insulation boards and covered with a Holzram System LLC next building project.
Siga vapor-open membrane. Panel Manufacturer: Blueprint Robotics
Blueprint Robotics fabricated the insulated exterior General Contractor: Custom Residential Constructions
wall panels as well as the open interior partition wall and BE-Ex Ed features courses on:
floor panels in its 200,000-ft2 facility. Zola wood alu-clad
• Passive House principles
Passive House windows were shipped to the factory and
• policy and codes
installed with airtight and thermal bridge-free detailing. PASSIVE HOUSE METRICS • and more coming soon!
The automated Weinman line precisely machined the Heating demand 5.14 kBtu/ft²yr
highly complicated geometry, including the large arched Cooling demand 2.82 kBtu/ft²yr To register visit:
BE-Ex Ed is a program of the Building Energy Exchange (BE-Ex), a center
window headers and structural components and connec- Site energy 4.29 kBtu/ft²yr learn.be-exchange.org
of excellence dedicated to reducing the effects of climate change by
tions. Once delivered to the site, the fully insulated and Source energy 3,308 kWh/person-yr
Air leakage 0.06 cfm/ft2 (design) improving the built environment. BE-Ex accelerates the transition to healthy
healthy,,
airtight panels and roof trusses of the 10,000-ft2 build-
comfortable,, and energy efficient buildings by serving as a resource and
comfortable
trusted expert to the building industry. Find us
us at be-exchange.org
be-exchange.org..
Levis, Quebec
N.A.
STRUCTURES
N.A. STRUCTURES, THE QUEBEC-
BASED PANELIZATION AND
STRUCTURAL STEEL BUILDING
COMPANY, HAS BEEN IN
OPERATION FOR SIX YEARS,
COMPLETING AROUND 35
PREFABRICATED BUILDINGS A YEAR.
A growing number of these structures
will meet Passive House standards,
Drawings and photos courtesy of N.A. Structures.
with an estimated 15 Passive House
performance-level buildings set to be
built in 2021.
The team of engineers, architects, and skilled fabrica- used dependent on architect specifications, climate, and
tors are dedicated to lowering the carbon footprint of other variables.
their clients’ projects, with accurate builds that are more With commercial and residential prefabrication expe-
efficient and improve the quality of craft. The team is rience under their belt, the N.A. Structures team utilizes
passionate about planning, designing, engineering, and Revit and other modules to develop and model every
manufacturing complex architectural projects that seek structure to identify bottlenecks and design challenges
Passive House levels of efficiency and airtightness. before production starts. Precision and accuracy are
The panels that N.A. Structures supplies are typi- achieved by full BIM modeling, which eliminates the vast
cally made of lumber, engineered wood, and steel majority of flaws that site-built structures can experi-
components, with the exact makeup varying based ence, while also aiding in structural review, engineering,
on the decisions of architects and builders. Packages and plan review.
typically include floors, walls, interior partitions, and Currently the majority of N.A. Structures business is
roofing systems. in Canada and the eastern United States, although they
Recently N.A. Structures has partnered with NeuFen- have delivered to 15 countries. The success of N.A Struc-
ster Canada, a distributor of Internorm Windows and tures relies on working collaboratively, using durable
Doors, to install windows and doors in panels in the high-performance materials, stewardship, and chain of
factory before they are shipped to the site. Once onsite, custody for all of their projects.
panels are stitched together using premium coated —Lorne Kelly
4.5-inch and 6-inch fasteners with torque heads. All Lorne Kelly is a manager of business development
joints and seams are taped, with the specific materials at N.A.Structures.
Photos by Stina Booth (left and below right); New Frameworks (above, right, and bottom left)
The cooperative’s panel sector, known as Gryphon Panels, Most projects constructed with the straw bale panels
is the only manufacturer of straw panels in the United are custom designed by the New Frameworks design team,
States, producing components for about six projects each although the flexibility exists to work with outside design-
year. The close-knit team of about seven worker-owners ers. For those projects, the Gryphon Panels team collabo-
handles designing, planning, building, transporting, and rates with the design team to implement standard panel
installation of its panels, delivering within a 5-hour radius sizing. The cooperative also sells and manufactures airtight,
from the home base in Vermont. Passive House-quality, plant-based doors that clients can
Lowering the embodied carbon of its builds was the add to their packages. Currently, windows are not installed
driving consideration behind Gryphon Panels, allowing the in the facility, though they expect to start offering factory-
Burlington, Vermont group to rely heavily on plant-based materials like timber installed Passive House windows in the next few years.
and straw. When sourcing these supplies, the team views In 2021 New Frameworks is expanding, including hiring
NEW FRAMEWORKS
each purchase as an opportunity to multiply positive ef- for seven new positions, and working on stock plans. The
fects by supporting local businesses, using locally sourced company ethos keeps both the planet and their worker-
timber from small mills and sustainably managed forests, owners in mind.
—Sydney Gladu
and supplementing with FSC lumber only when needed.
They also have a commitment to support small, family-run
organic farms.
A straw bale’s high performance as an insulation mate-
NEW FRAMEWORKS, FOUNDED IN 2006, rial depends in part on its density. To preserve that density,
IS A WORKER-OWNED COOPERATIVE BASED IN the group uses the bales in their original size—14 X 18 X 36
inches—which affects a panel’s size and a structure’s win-
VERMONT THAT OFFERS DESIGN-BUILD SERVICES,
dow placements. As a result, buildings designed and built
PASSIVE HOUSE CONSULTING, AND STRAW with Gryphon Panels are not only energy-efficient and low
PREFABRICATED PANELS. The bulk of its projects are in carbon but have a signature handcrafted aesthetic.
residential homes; however, the team is currently working All panels have a continuous vapor-variable mem-
on a school program center and has other prospective brane air barrier on the interior with plywood sheathing
on the exterior of the straw panel frame that acts as a
commercial and municipal buildings in its sights for 2021.
vapor-open air barrier. For most builds, a continuous layer
About 80% of the cooperative’s projects meet Passive of wood-fiber board insulation is used on the outside of
House certification requirements. the sheathing.
The Alpha building systems are lightweight wood

Grand Junction, Colorado
frames, insulated with cellulose in the cavity and wood-
PHOENIX
fiber board on the exterior. The systems can be used
to construct roofs, walls, and floors. While including
windows is an option, most clients go for the inclusive
HAUS
package, and the company has a short list of preferred
providers that are regular suppliers, such as Alpen and
SmartWin. The website features a library of 3D details
that architects can download and use to adapt their
designs to the Alpha system.
“Every project is potentially a Passive House build-
PHOENIX HAUS, LED BY CO-OWNERS
ing,” asserts McDonald, given the composition of their
AND SIBLINGS BILL MCDONALD AND panels. Yet McDonald also points out that the final
KATE MCDONALD, is based in determinant of a project meeting Passive House per-
Grand Junction, Colorado. The company formance is what happens on site. To ensure consis-
produces the Alpha building systems, which tent installations, Phoenix Haus generally works with
have been certified by PHI and are used in one specific third-party prefab installation firm that
travels to each site and has become expert at the on-
both PHI and PHIUS projects, and a selection
site details.
of predesigned home packages. Although
Currently the business is concentrated in the
Phoenix Haus can deliver to anywhere single-family home market, although McDonald sees
in the continental United States, the company a growing demand for larger developments, such as
most commonly ships to the western states, multiple single-family dwellings on one property and
including Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, single-family homes with attached second units. “Our
Idaho, Montana,and Wyoming. DNA is healthy housing and satisfying the needs of
multigenerational families—kids and grandparents in
one complex,” says McDonald.
The predesigned homes were created in response to Photos by Kylie Fitts (above, bottom right, and far left); Phoenix Haus (bottom left).
consumer demand from customers informed enough to
understand the value of a Passive House and the cost
savings inherent in choosing an established model. For
potential clients who want to experience for them-
selves the full scope of Phoenix Haus living, they now
can. The company built one of their models, the H19,
in the midst of the Powderhorn Ski Resort in Western
Colorado and has made it available for short-term
rentals. The 1,900-ft2 H19 has three bedrooms and
two baths and is PHIUS certified. The H10 model has a
1,000-ft2 plan that can be adapted.
For many consumers, the time and the cost required
to get a custom home are insurmountable barriers.
Phoenix Haus acts as a disruption to the traditional
homebuilding model, according to McDonald, by deliv-
ering a Passive House in a reasonable timeframe. “We
provide more value to the end-user,” he concludes.
—Mary James
Minden, Ontario
QUANTUM
PASSIVHAUS
QUANTUM PASSIVHAUS OPENED ITS DOORS
FOUR YEARS AGO AND HAS BEEN BUSY
DESIGNING, FABRICATING, AND CONSTRUCTING
Their efforts in crafting panels suited for their climate has
PASSIVE HOUSE RESIDENCES EVER SINCE.
paid off, notes Xerri, saying, “We are proud to be North
Co-owners Abby Xerri and Angie Horner-Xerri
America's first Cold Climate PHI-certified panel, Canada's
started the business with the mission to supply Passive first light wood-constructed certified panel, and a smart
House-quality housing at a reasonable cost, especially solution to rapid housing projects and developments.” Photos courtesy of Quantum Passivhaus
to such price-sensitive population groups as retirees The team is planning to launch the first PHI-certified
and low-income residents. “We live in a community Arctic Climate system in spring 2021.
where people struggle to pay their heating bills, The company now has an 8,000-ft2 production and
Elora
training facility that has the capacity to manufacture
and we couldn’t consider building in any other way,”
panels up to 28 feet tall. “We have a well-balanced team
Xerri says.
that includes in-house design and dedicated engineer-
ing, so we can find a solution for any project,” says Xerri,
adding that they can produce both non-load bearing
and structural panels in their shop. Their wood-framed,
Schoolhouse
vapor-open panels can be insulated with the material
that is best suited to a client’s needs, with the choices
—37 McNab Street
ranging from dense-pack cellulose to formaldehyde-free
fiberglass to sheep’s wool.
T
In addition to its production and construction opera-
he homeowner purchased an eroding log school- both inside and outside. Essentially this requirement meant
tions, Quantum Passivhaus has built its own training facil-
house in Elora, Ontario with an ambitious vision to that no visible insulation could be added. To add to the
ity. There, they have offered Passive House tradesperson turn it into a high-performance spec home. Quantum high-performance hurdles, having the three exterior sides
certification courses in collaboration with Peel Passive Passivhaus, based in Minden, Ontario, was hired to tackle of the log schoolhouse exposed greatly increases the sur-
House Consulting and MIZU Passive House Consulting. this project, based on the firm’s prefab Passive House ex- face area-to-volume ratio of the building.
“We also made a mobile lab that allows us to bring classes perience, and took it beyond expectations. In this ultimate This project also faced several other significant chal-
to a site in such topics as how to apply membranes tapes makeover plus addition of a new 3,400-ft² structure, the lenges such as having to lift the three-wall heritage build-
or install windows,” Xerri notes. With so much flexibility finished home protects a local heritage while incorporating ing in order to install a foundation under it and put it back
in their offerings, it’s been a busy four years for the own- innovative Passive House design, products, and craftsman- into place without breaking a window! To move the three
ers, who are looking forward to bringing their expertise ship. The new part of the home was built using Quantum’s walls while keeping the two corners intact, despite not
to many more projects in 2021. prefabricated panels. having a floor or roof to help tie it together, we designed,
The guidelines set by the local Wellington Heritage engineered, and manufactured bracing, lifting, and con-
Committee to protect the heritage features of the log necting components for the task. (The three log walls had
school house required that heritage appreciation of all been estimated to weigh 11,000 lbs but actually weighed
three sides of the log structure had to be preserved from just under 30,000 lbs due to petrification of the wood,
TECHNICAL PROJECT DETAILS

Climate Zone Cold
PH Main 3398 sq. ft (excluding garage, porch
Structure Size and heritage)
Heritage Structure 616 sq. ft
Size
Construction Details
Quantum PHI certified wall “Type 1.1”.

Walls Type Wood frame, cold climate glass mineral wool
prefabricated panel with insulated service cavity.
Pro Clima membranes.
Wall Thermal 0.093 W/(m²K) R61 (effective) with negative
Performance thermal bridge values.
QP Engineered Insulated Raft Slab using EPS
Foundation Type foam, 15mm rebar and a 6” concrete slab @ 32
MPa, 4” perimeter thermal skirting
The “Essential Package” is $114/ft2 and includes: Foundation Thermal 0.086W/(m2K) R66
supply and install of Quantum Passivhaus engineered Performance
raft slabs for the addition, heritage building, and garage; Scissor trusses 24” o/c (ready for solar) and
Quantum Passivhaus panelized system (certified walls); cathedral trusses 24” o/c
Roof Type
floor joists and truss systems; mechanical systems and Cathedral Ceiling: 0.057W/(m²K) R100 (35%
of ceilings)
ventilation; and windows and doors. This cost also in-
Roof Thermal Flat Ceiling: 0.070 /(m²K) R81 (65% of ceilings)
cludes travel, accommodations, and crane/trucking. Performances
The “Design and Energy Modelling Package” is $0.53/
1) insulated raft slab on grade and
ft2 and includes two phases of conceptual drawings, Floors Types 2) hybrid open-web floor truss for
requiring a much heavier crane than anticipated, and mineral wool insulation between the heritage logs under PHPP energy modelling as a guide to the design process, intermediate floor
even greater attention to technique and safety.) Less the chinking. permit drawings, structural engineering, product and Attic Insulation Type Blown-in Cellulose
dramatic difficulties included low-hanging hydro lines, To make the best use of fiscal resources, and to treat spec sheet evaluations, project budgeting, and flow- Heating, cooling & some dehumidification:
narrow site conditions, and shading of the site. the building as a whole where possible, the mechanicals chart scheduling. Passive House addition: Chiltrix system
are mostly shared—except for the gas heat source in the The “Plus Package” is $35.20/ft2, including demoli- including air to water heat pump, distributing
Design Solutions heritage zone, which was required to make up for the tion, excavation, utility services, and site safety costs. heating, cooling and some dehumidification
As a solution, the Passive House-compliant addition and Mechanicals via fan-coil units.
heat loss through the heritage walls. To improve winter Removing, reinstalling, and restoring the heritage
the heritage restoration were designed as two thermally performance throughout the building, the SHGC of Heritage Restoration: Gas fireplace heat.
schoolhouse came in at $16.43/ft2. Chiltrix cooling and some dehumidification
separated zones; the slab connection between the zones specific windows was increased, resulting in a decrease
Ventilation (both) via Zehnder Q 450 with
are thermally broken with Type 3 EPS curbs, the Quan- in heat load/demand while keeping summer heat load/ Energy Performance Results hydronic preheat
tum Type 1 exterior wall, and a CAL exterior door. The demand minimized by vegetative shading and over- This project’s final blower door test result was 0.48 DHW (both) tank storage heated by Chiltrix
areas are also separated by an air barrier. To improve the hangs. From an energy modelling perspective, we were System and inline electric heater.
ACH50. The PHPP modelling shows an annual heating
heritage log wall performance, where possible, we ‘hid’ reminded that it is key to have your site shading evalu- Solkolka Elite 92, triple glazed
demand of 17 kWh/m² and a heating load of 11 W/m2. If
ated and verified early in the process and planning! the homeowners were to seek certification, this home Ug: 0.53-56 W/(m²K)
Care was taken to select components that were PHI Windows SHGC: 0.63 south and 0.53 other
achieves the heat demand thresholds of PHI’s Low
certified or modelled using PHI-approved protocols to Average Uw installed= 0.92 W/(m²K)
Energy Building. It is just 2 kWh/m2 more than the heat
aid in energy modelling: Zehnder Q, Elite 92 Windows via *Over-framing was installed as part of the
demand criteria of a Classic Passive House and just 1 W/ QP installation
Vetta Building Supplies, and the now-certified Quantum m2 above its heat load threshold. Doors CAL Artik Model Ud= 0.67 W/(m²K)
Wood Frame Opaque Wall Systems. The Quantum Pas- —Angie Horner-Xerri
sivhaus prefabricated components were installed in two Angie Horner-Xerri is co-owner of Quantum Passivhaus.
days, with the finishes completed by the builder over the PASSIVE HOUSE METRICS
next six months. Peak heating load
TEAM entire house 21,480 Btu/h
Construction Costs Project Lead: Abby Xerri, Quantum Passivhaus log schoolhouse zone 9,150 Btu/h
PH zone 12,330 Btu/h
This project was a collaboration between Quantum Designer: Fabienne Lehmann, Quantum Passivhaus
Peak cooling load
Passivhaus and Remley Custom Homes. We have broken Energy Modeller: Angie Horner-Xerri, entire house 16,000 Btu/h
Quantum Passivhaus log schoolhouse zone 2,020 Btu/h
down the cost components of the scope of work we PH zone 13,980 Btu/h
provided under the “Design and Energy Modelling,” “Es- Mechanical Design: ZON Engineering Inc. Air leakage
sentials Package,” and “Plus Package” services. Prefabrication provider: Quantum Passivhaus PH zone 0.48 ACH50
log schoolhouse zone 1.0 ACH50 (design)
The firm’s client base was initially a small niche of

individuals who wanted an environmentally beneficial
home and didn’t necessarily have the budget for custom
work—and were building within spitting distance of
Simple Life’s home base of Cobourg, which sits an hour
east of Toronto on the northern shores of Lake Ontario.
However, the company has grown as word has spread
about the quality of its offerings. In the last couple of
years Simple Life has worked on projects in Quebec,
Manitoba, Nova Scotia, as well as Ontario, and is begin-
ning to ship its products to the United States. Simple Life
is also expanding into the multifamily market, though
most of its homes continue to be either single-family
dwellings or duplexes.
About 15% to 25% of the homes the company
produces are designed in-house, and Clarke relies on
Cadwork software to digitize plans and create the shop
drawings needed for the prefabrication process. For
out-of-house designers Clarke stresses the importance
of initiating communication early in the design process.
“Being involved as early as possible allows for fewer steps
backwards,” he notes.
SIMPLE LIFE HOMES IS A COMPANY THAT IS For project installations Clarke has developed a
CONSISTENTLY EXPLORING NEW TECHNOLOGIES, hybrid model. In some cases, the entire project is
Cobourg, Ontario NEW MODELS, AND NEW ITERATIONS TO REMAIN performed by or overseen by Simple Life employees.
In others, it is performed by a contractor who has been
AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE
SIMPLE
trained by the company. “We are trying to encourage
BUILDING. Founded in 2012, Simple Life started that scenario, because the more people who understand
as a general contracting company specializing in how to install our panels, the better,” he points out.
sustainable housing. Seeing the opportunity to better Though Simple Life continues to evolve, what has not
LIFE
changed is the dedication to high-performance build-
deliver on their values and serve their clients, Jeremy
ing practices and low embodied carbon. All of its homes
Clarke, the founder of Simple life, steered the company meet 1.0 ACH50 and most hit 0.6 or less. Clarke says Photos courtesy of Simple Life Homes
toward manufacturing panels in 2017. The panels are many of his clients are more inclined to ask for a “pretty
HOMES
constructed with exclusively low-embodied carbon good house” rather than a Passive House and are seek-
ing sustainability above all. “A major selling point for our
materials—wood, dense-packed cellulose, and wood-
clients has been our commitment to reducing embodied
fiber insulation—in keeping with the firm’s emphasis carbon. That is one of our top priorities,” notes Clarke.
on sustainability. —Jay Fox
Invermere, British Columbia
STICH
CONSULTING
& DESIGN
STICH CONSULTING & DESIGN WAS FOUNDED
IN 2013 BY TOMAZ AND JASMINKA STICH TO
FACILITATE THE CONSTRUCTION OF PASSIVE Photos by Andreas Dyballa
HOUSE BUILDINGS. The company, based in
British Columbia, offers consulting and design To promote the use of European Passive House-quality num-clad wood windows from Austria and the wood-fiber
services for prefabricated and site-built projects products in Canada, Stich is a representative for several boards from Germany—were assembled in Slovenia by
and leads Passive House courses and exams. European manufacturers, including Schneider Holz, Op- Lamo, a carpenter the Stiches had worked with previously.
Tomaz is also a PHI certifier. tiwin, and M-Sora. Schneider Holz produces wood-fiber The finished prefabricated wall panels that were shipped
board, cross laminated timber (CLT) panels, and glulam. to Canada included 12 inches of wood-fiber board insula-
Optiwin and M-Sora manufacture windows and doors. tion attached to the CLT panels and built-in windows, with
Stich can handle all of the preplanning, design, and the strapping and siding attached as well. Each wall was
engineering required for clients choosing to build with basically one panel. All wall, floor, and roof panels were
these components. loaded and shipped in four 40-foot open top containers to
Stich Consulting & Design primarily works on residen- Invermere. Assembly of the house was done straight out
tial projects—single-family and multifamily. The firm has of the containers by crane and took 5 days to lock up.
also shepherded the construction of a mixed commercial Exterior motorized venetian blinds on all the south-
building and supplied the wood-fiber board used for ret- facing floor-to-ceiling windows are used to protect the
rofitting 12 units of a First Nation housing development. building from overheating. Two panels of vacuum tubes
In 2020 Tomaz and Jasminka completed their own (for a total of 60 tubes) installed on the roof take care
Passive House in Invermere, British Columbia, built using of domestic hot water generation year-round. An ERV
the prefabricated CLT panels and windows they import. supplies the ventilation; its supply air is fed through a
The home was certified as meeting the Passive House 100-foot geothermal loop (earth tube) to preheat the
Plus standard. air in winter and precool it in summer. A 4,000-liter
“We decided to have our envelope components pre- rainwater harvesting tank was added for flushing toilets
fabricated to the greatest extent possible—about 90%— and gardening.
instead of shipping every material separately as we had “Our focus has never been only on Passive House but
previously, pushing the limits more than usual in order to also on renewable, wood-based products,” states Tomaz.
prove that all of this is possible and cost effective,” says “As we were very familiar with the cradle-to-grave sus-
Tomaz Stich. The goal with this high level of prefabrica- tainability and high quality of the products manufactured
tion was to show that a high-performance Passive House by the suppliers we work with from Austria, Germany,
can be built in Canada for the same price—or even less— and Slovenia, we naturally chose to work with them.” To
than standard houses built to code by cutting down on showcase the beauty of these products, the finished CLT
expensive site labor. The cost of the house was roughly walls, ceiling, and roof were left exposed. Oak flooring
$210 CAD per square foot, and that includes the shipping. throughout the house was chosen to be in alignment
All of the materials used in the construction of the with the path of using exclusively natural renewable
building shell—the CLT panels and PHI-certified alumi- building products.
—Mary James
Abbotsford, British Columbia
STRUCTURECRAFT
In 2020 StructureCraft saw many projects come to life,
such as the Idaho Central Credit Union Arena (Moscow,
ID), the Hotel Magdalena (Austin, TX), and the new,
dramatic Taiyuan Botanical Garden Domes complex in
Taiyuan, China, to name a few. Its typical markets include
mass timber office and residential buildings, custom ar-
chitectural projects, long-span structures such as sports
arenas, and design-build footbridges.
SoLo is a visually commanding off-grid mass timber
Passive House residence just outside Whistler, British
Columbia that StructureCraft supplied the DLT for last
year. While SoLo was one of the first Passive House build-
ings for the firm, its engagement with the Passive House
community is growing.
StructureCraft is the structural engineer and will be
STRUCTURECRAFT IS AT ITS HEART A constructing the timber structure for the Canada Earth
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND DESIGN Tower in Vancouver, one of the most anticipated Passive
House projects anywhere. The Earth Tower at 37 stories
FIRM THAT SPECIALIZES IN CREATING
tall is expected to be the world’s tallest mass timber
BEAUTIFUL MASS TIMBER STRUCTURES. tower. Mostly residential, the building will also include
Started 22 years ago, the company in 2017 several floors of office and retail spaces. An outreach
expanded to add fabrication of dowel laminated center, which was built partly to be a mass timber show-
timber (DLT) and other timber products to its case for the public, features StructureCraft’s DLT.
The firm saw continued growth of interest in mass
offerings to help enable the construction of the timber in 2020 despite the pandemic. Jordan Henderson,
structures the firm designed. With its 50,000-ft² StructureCraft’s marketing coordinator attributes this
fabrication facility the company offers turnkey to the increasing interest in sustainable building. “We’ve
services from engineering through to installation seen mass timber go from a niche construction method
to architects and GCs calling us because their clients are
and has collaborated on projects throughout
specifically asking for mass timber,” notes Henderson.
North America and Asia. Many of these companies are unfamiliar with the poten-
tial of mass timber and the innovative structures that its
use can foster—an unfamiliarity that StructureCraft is
happy to address.
StructureCraft has fine-tuned what they call the engi-
Photos by StructureCraft (top left and bottom); Casey Dunn (above)
neer-build delivery model where design, fabrication, and
installation all happen under one roof. This integration of
engineering and construction dovetails seamlessly with
the Passive House concept in that all approaches to the Fresh and innovative engineering ideas optimize a design erection times. You have a team of seasoned engineers
structure are considered. “Sustainability not only takes for operation and beauty. Careful planning in computa- and builders working together with the client, architect,
place in the existence of the finished building but in the tional design and BIM results in early price commitment and contractor to deliver an efficient and beautiful struc-
planning, manufacturing, and erection of the structure. and cost-savings, a kit-of-parts fabrication, and quick ture that people love to own and use,” says Henderson.
—Mary James
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Squamish, British Columbia
TAG
TAG WAS ESTABLISHED TO FILL A MARKET
GAP, PRODUCING THE PANELS THAT Delivery has so far been mostly within British Colum-
COFOUNDER DAVID ARNOTT’S OTHER FIRM, bia, but shipment to anywhere in Canada is possible. To
STARK ARCHITECTURE, DEEMED MOST USEFUL. date, the firm has been producing panels for about eight
homes a year from a 10,000-ft2 facility. Arnott is looking
TAG’s panels are built using Canadian plywood
to expand and has his eye on a possible 15,000-ft2 shop.
or OSB, timber framing, blown recycled cellulose “For every job we have, we probably have five, six, or even
or recycled glass, wood-fiber insulation, and seven inquiries for the same panel slot,” he explains. They
high-performance tapes and membranes. The firm have recently fielded inquiries about supplying panels for
various multifamily buildings, including a 120-unit apart-
fabricates wall, floor, and roof panels.
ment building.
The TAG panels are shipped without windows, which
makes guaranteeing a final airtightness testing result in-
feasible. However, a recent home that used TAG panels and
medium-performance windows achieved 1.0 ACH50 with
no additional air sealing.
Arnott is considering expanding into the production
of retrofit panels. With the Canadian federal government
priming the pump for retrofits to the tune of $1 billion, he
sees both a chance to make an important difference in the
performance and comfort of existing homes and
a significant market opportunity.
—Mary James
Photos courtesy of TAG Panels

The ARCHITECTURE of
PASSIVE HOUSE
The
Retrofit PASSIVE
Issue HOUSE
ACCELERATOR
Magazine RETROFITS
DEEP-ENERGY
DEEP-ENERGY
CALLING ALL RETROFIT CASE STUDIES!

RETROFITS
Passive House Accelerator is looking for DEEP-ENERGY
PASSIVE HOUSE RETROFITS to feature in its upcoming
magazine issue.
Coming Summer 2021!
All wrapped up or still in process? Single-family building or large
tower? We are interested in the whole spectrum of building and
project types.
The issue will be out in early summer, so don’t delay.
Contact Robin Cassatt-Johnstone at ROBIN@PASSIVEHOUSEACCELERATOR.COM
Ways PASSIVE
to Read HOUSE
ACCELERATOR
Magazine
Digital Print Copy

Download for Purchase
Visit passivehouseaccelerator.com Photos: (top row from left) Magnusson Architecture and Planning; Trent Bell; Mitch Winton Photography (middle row) Britta Kokemore; Ecocor;
Placetailor (bottom row) CookMediaLLC; GBBN; Element5

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PREFAB 2021

Editor and Publisher: Mary James

Contributing Writers: Ilka Cassidy, Matheo Durfeld, Angie Horner-Xerri,

Cover image: Photo courtesy of Phoenix Haus

Accord, NY Passive House | North River Architecture & Planning

» 2-Stage High Capacity Dehumidifier

THE SOLITEX MENTO DIFFERENCE

THE SOLITEX MENTO DIFFERENCE

that the team is encouraged and supported to excel and

Pemberton, British Columbia

Walpole, New Hampshire

Photos by Peter Pierce

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B.PUBLIC CASE STUDY

ACHIEVE SUPERIOR AIRTIGHTNESS FOR

for preconditioning. � PERMEABLE TO WATER VAPOUR

envelope, through the smart-variable Sd-value

Freehold, New York

Lawrence, Kansas The company’s services begin with project estimat-

To fabricate the wall, roof, and floor panels that the

COLLECTIVE CARPENTRY, ORIGINALLY A

Take a look inside StoTherm® ci Mineral wall systems:

Photos courtesy of Ecocor

Being able to achieve Passive House certification in such a

Element5 utilizes mass-timber products such as macro and

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Innotecn_PHB Magazine Fall 2021 Ad_v1.indd 1 1/12/21 5:03 PM

GO LOGIC CASE STUDY

Silvergreen PHIUS 2018+ standard, achieving net-zero energy sourced

HIGH PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS

The Alpha building systems are lightweight wood

TECHNICAL PROJECT DETAILS

Quantum PHI certified wall “Type 1.1”.

The firm’s client base was initially a small niche of

Invermere, British Columbia

Abbotsford, British Columbia

Squamish, British Columbia

Photos courtesy of TAG Panels

CALLING ALL RETROFIT CASE STUDIES!

Contact Robin Cassatt-Johnstone at ROBIN@PASSIVEHOUSEACCELERATOR.COM

Digital Print Copy

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