Passive House News Roundup:

 

October, 2023

A blink-and-you-miss-it month, October was full of great Passive House moments, connections, and news. The 2023 Passive House Network Conference started things off with a flash, and the good news just kept rolling through. If you had trouble keeping up with everything (we know we did!) here’s a quick overview of what happened this month.

  • Back in September, Emu Passive held a Boot Camp in Minneapolis, co-hosted by our Chapter, Passive House Minnesota, resulting in rave reviews and this article.
  • Just as the month turned, we published a new brief that outlines a clear pathway towards getting the policies we want. Stepping Up to Passive is a short but powerful read that will enable you to bring Passive House building codes to your neighborhood. Read our announcement and the report itself for an overview of the best practices in implementing Passive House building codes.
  • We also announced the winners of our 1st Annual Climate Specific Design Awards. You can see the winners, read the judges’ comments, and view these impressive designs here.
  • Passive House is on the rise in Colorado, especially in Boulder County. You can check out this article to find the details, including some thoughts offered from our Executive Director, Ken Levenson.
  • While we were making connections in Denver, Boston made an important Passive House addition to the city’s skyline. Winthrop Center became the largest office space in the world to become Passive House certified. Ken offered some more insight into what this means for Passive House going forward.
  • With all the good news from state and local jurisdictions, it’s no wonder that the Federal government is catching on. The White House announced a new definition for “zero-emission” buildings, and it’s right in line with everything that Passive House does. Timothy Lock, management partner at OPAL Architecture and part of the team supporting the White House Climate Policy Office on the new definition, offers his thoughts in this article. Plus, we covered the news on this definition and two more White House initiatives that point towards the good work of Passive House retrofits in our blog.

If you thought October was a great month for Passive House, get ready for November! This Thursday at Noon ET, you can (and should!) join us for our online Symposium on Retrofitting Historic Skyscrapers. Register here!

Not long after, it’s the weekend you’ve been waiting for. International Passive House Open Days are back, and they’re better than ever! Check out our list of participating locations, with more being updated throughout the week. Then, plan your Passive House road trip! Open Days are taking place November 10-12.