What's So Different about Designing & Building Multi-Family Passive House?

There’s been a surge in interest in Passive House multi-family new construction in the Northeast. So what kind of differences are we really talking about from conventional projects? Can we educate our design and engineering teams to get there? Hear from two of Massachusetts’ first Passive House affordable projects: Beacon Community’s 55-unit Old Colony and POAH’s 135-Unit Mattapan Station. Find out changes in design and construction both projects had to make. Learn about incremental costs and savings. Find out how planning tools such as Passive House energy modeling were helpful and what advice these teams would give to teams considering Passive House certification.

Session Speaker(s): 

Beverly Craig
Julie Klump
Nathan Thomas

Session Chair(s): 

Beverly Craig

Event Time: 

Friday, August 14, 2020 - 8:00am to 9:00am

Room / Location:
Harbor II

Experience Level: 

1 (no prior experience/knowledge needed)

CEU Information: 

AIA 1.0 LU/HSW
MA CSL 1.0 hour, Energy
PHI 1.0 credit

Learning Objectives:

  • Illustrate how Passive House projects differ from Stretch Code multi-family, focusing on where to spend premiums and simplification of design and form to save cost
  • Illustrate project team’s collaboration strategies to meet Passive House standards
  • Highlight the necessity for an increased focus on air-tightness and the role of the design and owner to make the design intent very clear early on. Summarize the importance and difficulty of early decision making in terms of MEP systems as well as broader sustainability goals
  • Describe categories of incremental costs and savings and expected operating changes/other benefits anticipated of Passive House certified buildings

Session ID: 

BOS20-205

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