PHN & Co at the USGBC-CA Green Building Conference

The Passive House Network joined our fellow Passive House enthusiasts at the Green Building Conference in San Francisco on May 21st-22nd.

Inspiring conference panels, celebratory gatherings, and a few special announcements filled our days at the USGBC-CA Green Building Conference. If you weren’t able to attend, read on for the highlights.

Pre-Conference Previews – The Journey to Rebuilding LA

We were thrilled to meet with some Passive House enthusiasts the night before the conference on May 21. The gathering, co-hosted by B.Public Prefab, Passive House BB, and 475 High Performance Building Supply and PHN was the perfect spot to unveil some exciting announcements.

Passive House, Prefab, and California design have joined forces in a new collaboration featuring Passive House BB and B.Public Prefab to bring us SustAIN HAUS, the first in a series of home designs intended specifically to support the LA rebuilds. Sleek modern living meets sustainable, high-performance Passive House standards in a ready-to-go design for those who are eager to start the rebuilding process. Learn more about the project here.

PHN’s Community Coordinator, Susie Harris, officially announced the California Rebuilds Design Competition in collaboration with Passive House California and sponsored by Rockwool, challenging attendees to inspire rebuilders and generations of families with, which will culminate in a groundbreaking catalog of Craftsman, Spanish Colonial, Ranch, Mid Century Modern, and Contemporary Passive House high-performance homes to inspire and inform homeowners and developers in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades communities. The competition, stemming from the Passive House Network’s Climate Disaster Support, will reveal the winning designs during USGBC’s Greenbuild in Los Angeles—less than five months away! Submissions are due on September 30th. We encourage everyone to submit!

Smoke-Tight is IN

While coffee was in short supply at the conference, the enthusiasm for safe, affordable buildings was at an all-time high. Attendees asked questions on how to protect communities from future wildfires, and PHN & PHCA were there in the Smoke-Tight Zone with an answer: create a Smoke-Tight home.

Surrounded by coils of confetti smoke, PHN welcomed attendees into the Smoke-Tight Zone, a curated corner of the vendor floor that demonstrated how the Passive House standard can keep occupants safe and protect investments by keeping the smoke out and the healthy air in. The zone also showcased vendors who can provide the necessary components to create an airtight building, including windows from Wythe Windows, Zola, and Fenstür, building supplies from 475, and prefab Passive House offerings from Collective Carpentry and B. Public Prefab.

Those looking to see Passive House building principles in action were able to sit in on case study presentations from California Passive House designers Christian Kienapfel and Graham Irwin, as well as a presentation from Andrew Michler about a house designed with EcoCocon straw insulation.