Overview: While luxury and affordable housing have found their groove, let’s track down the “missing middle” and the business case for it.
Presentation 1: The Biogenic Blueprint: Leveraging High-Tech DfMA to Deliver Low-Carbon, Foam-Free Passive House
Description: High-performance prefabrication does not require high-carbon materials. By utilizing DfMA, we can “profit” from the health and carbon-sequestering benefits of biogenic materials while maintaining the schedule and cost predictability of offsite construction. This provides a scalable path for the industry to move beyond operational efficiency toward total carbon neutrality.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze the intersection of DfMA principles and biogenic material assemblies to reduce embodied carbon in Passive House structures.
- Identify specific detailing strategies for foam-free, panelized roof and wall assemblies that maintain continuous air and thermal control layers.
- Describe the “parts-based” modeling process as a tool for de-risking the use of novel or natural materials in offsite construction.
- Explore the “profit” of health and resilience achieved by prioritizing natural materials in the building envelope.
Presentation 2: Passive House & Embodied Carbon
Description: Rather than typical projects where manufacturers are often absent from early-stage decision making, let’s reframe and position manufacturers as essential technical collaborators from project inception. A case study demonstrates how Passive House can operate as a performance‑based framework, reconciling competing regulatory objectives, supporting rigorous verification, and enabling innovative solutions.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify strategies for collaborating with ERV and window manufacturers to meet PH performance targets in the U.S. market.
- Describe capital and operational cost implications of Passive House mechanical systems in multifamily buildings.
- Apply envelope optimization strategies when historic, zoning, or massing constraints limit design flexibility.
- Explore how the Passive House design and build process can be helped by enhanced manufacturer engagement.
CEUs:
Upon completion of all modules a Certificate of Attendance will be automatically issued for AIA & PHI credit. Please self report to both AIA & PHI using the codes provided.
