Overview: A renovated Greek island getaway and a Connecticut home provide invigorating and inspiring destinations for living.
Presentation 1: Retrofitting on a Greek Island: The Inspiration, Construction Challenges, and Delight of it
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 technical aspects of Passive House detailing in masonry retrofits.
- Identify the importance of precisely calculating all potential sources of heat gains.
- Investigate the necessity of adaptability and willingness to learn from both the architect and the contractor side
- Explore the post-occupancy evaluation as a critical understanding of what works and what doesn’t.
Presentation 2: No Excuses: Making High-End Homes Passive House
Description: High-end residential construction can readily support innovation and meet the highest standards of energy performance, durability, and climate responsibility, yet it remains one of the least optimized sectors in terms of performance. This home demonstrates that when clients invest in bespoke design, we can make rigorous energy modeling, airtightness, embodied carbon reduction, and long-term resilience a fundamental expectation rather than an exception.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze strategies for integrating complex architectural forms with Passive House performance targets, including methods for achieving high transparency while maintaining airtightness and thermal continuity.
- Apply iterative modeling tools beyond PHPP, including dynamic simulations for glazing performance, solar control, and natural ventilation, to inform early stage design decisions in high performance residential projects.
- Assess embodied carbon implications of structural system selection, comparing hybrid mass timber and alternative systems to quantify reductions in life-cycle global warming potential.
- Identify verification and commissioning practices that ensure modeled performance translates into measurable operational outcomes, including iterative blower door testing, envelope detailing coordination, and post-occupancy monitoring.
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.
