Houston, We Have a Solution!
This year’s PhiusCon was held in Houston, Texas, and it did not disappoint in terms of content, education, motivation, and inspiration. Passive House and Phius are growing rapidly, albeit some would say not fast enough. It is great to be part of a movement that will be incorporated in building codes in all jurisdictions soon. This group of architects, engineers, contractors, and product reps get it, and are part of one solution to our climate change challenge.
The highlight of the conference (with the exception of presenting the Mount Vernon Library Commons) was the Passive House Tour day. We visited three different current projects in and around Houston. The first stop was a Permanent Supportive Housing project for an NGO called Temenos. It is a 95 SRO unit project that focuses on building stability and belonging for Houston’s most vulnerable unhoused community members. With emphasis on visibility to staff, the residents benefit from constant interaction and support.
The second project was a duplex townhome that was built by the owner of one of the units (and the other unit is available for $500,000). The Owner’s unit is net-zero with the aid of the south-facing rooftop solar array. Beautifully designed, these units offer outdoor space that is shaded and indoor space that is comfortable despite Houston’s hot climate.
The third project was a single-family residence in a suburban neighborhood where the owners had already completed their plans and were ready to sign their builder when they met a Passive House builder at a dinner party hosted by friends who just completed a Passive House. They were so struck by the way the house felt and how efficient it was that they switched contractors and modified the design to meet certification. A blower door test was performed during the tour to show how the house is performing mid-air sealing.
On Friday, our team (Julie Blazek of HKP, Julie Kriegh of Kriegh Architecture Studio, and Sarah Buffaloe of WSP) had the opportunity to present our project, the Mount Vernon Library Commons, to the conference crowd. We focused on how the energy and carbon-reduction goals were set and modeled early so that we could confidently make decisions during design and construction as things changed (sometimes out of our control). We also provided tips for how this was achieved in a low-bid, public bid process, which is one of the first such Passive House projects in the country. Several folks noted that it was their favorite presentation of the conference!
There were so many wonderful moments from the conference - from meeting new practitioners to gaining new insights to feeling the love and support of this community. We are super excited to look forward to PhiusCon 2024, which will be a joint conference with Greenbuild in Philadelphia next November, when we can share the completed project and certification results!
What is PhiusCon?
PhiusCon is North America’s leading passive building conference for zero energy design and construction, climate solutions, and building science expertise. Each year, PhiusCon attracts hundreds of architects, builders, engineers, policymakers and developers from across the globe with its combination of content-rich sessions and thought-provoking keynote addresses.
Photo Credits: HKP