Description

Overview: Passive House strategies raise the bar for serving diverse populations from Spanish Seniors to Upper West Side families.

Presentation 1: 

Certified Senior Care Housing Comes to Catalonia

Presented by Oliver Style, Praxis

As our population ages, more people are particularly susceptible to the growing risks of overheating driven by global warming. In addition, elderly care homes are among the most energy‑intensive building types, operating 24/7/365 with high internal gains from industrial kitchens, laundries, medical services, and high occupancy density. Located in Catalonia, Spain, Mirador de Gràcia demonstrates that Passive House can be successfully applied to large, complex healthcare‑residential buildings in warm climates, providing superior comfort and air quality for a vulnerable population while dramatically reducing operational costs and carbon emissions.

Presentation 2:

Demystifying Passive House Design

Presented by Todd Poisson and Will Russell, BKSK Architects

Charlotte of the Upper West Side is Manhattan’s first residential condominium in a landmark district to earn PHI certification, setting a new standard for sustainable urban living. Join the architects as they demonstrate that Passive House principles can not only enhance performance but also integrate with the refined formal aspirations of this high-end real estate development project.

1.25 AIA & 1 PHI CEUs

Moderated by Esther Van Eeden

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the specific challenges and opportunities of applying Passive House standards to large, 24/7, high internal load buildings such as care homes.
2. Identify how airtightness, thermal bridge optimization, and ventilation strategies can be successfully implemented at scale in complex healthcare residential buildings.
3. Describe the motivations of the team to make a condominium project Passive House.
4. Outline the challenges the team faced given fixed orientation and aesthetic requirements in developing the building to be Passive House.