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Many more presenters still to come! Stay tuned! |
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ROBB ALDRICH
Steven Winter Associates
Robb Aldrich is a Principal Mechanical Engineer at Steven Winter Associates focusing on energy systems in buildings including: evaluating new technologies, modeling building performance, optimizing designs, and researching new products and systems. Before coming to Steven Winter Associates in 2000, he spent several years designing, installing, and repairing solar electric and thermal systems.
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Robb works with builders and designers all across the country to make residential buildings healthier, more efficient, less costly to build and operate, and more comfortable.
In addition to work with designers and builders, Robb focuses on detailed evaluation and research into new technologies and systems. These efforts – often funded by government agencies, utilities, or other stakeholders – have led to much deeper understanding of building system performance and integration. These efforts allow a much more holistic approach when designing and consulting with clients. |
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PETER AMERONGEN
Habitat Studio
Peter Amerongen has been designing and building energy efficient houses in and around Edmonton, Alberta since the 1970’s. He is a partner in Habitat Studio, an Edmonton design /build company. Starting in 2007, he has designed and built 11 net zero energy houses (including several that are generating significant surplus energy) in Edmonton’s 5100OC (9200OF) heating degree-day climate.
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Under his leadership, Habitat Studio has also built more than 50 houses with EnerGuide Ratings of 86 or better. Net zero energy buildings and retrofits demand close attention.This micro scale focus has left him with a keen appreciation for the challenge of preparing all of our buildings for a low carbon future.
Peter is an original member of Edmonton City Council’s Energy Transition Advisory Committee and of the CHBA Net Zero Council Management Committee. He is also a Certified Passive House Consultant (PHIUS and PHI) and serves on the board of Passive Buildings Canada. |
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FLORIAN ANTRETTER
Fraunhofer IBP
Florian Antretter leads the group for Hygrothermal Building Analysis at Fraunhofer IBP. The group examines the hygrothermal performance and interaction of the building envelope and systems with the enclosed space. The achieved insight is used to develop and apply a hygrothermal whole building simulation tool, the WUFI® Passive software, which allows a detailed analysis with regards to energy use, indoor environment and the hygrothermal conditions in the building envelope.
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Antretter first gained experience on building sites as a certified craftsman. He expanded his experience in material, component and whole building measurements in the laboratory and in the field through statistical data assessment at Fraunhofer IBP and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
He is an expert in hygrothermal building component and whole building simulation as well as in application of computational fluid dynamics software. His involvement in North American, Asian, and European projects enables him to conduct research and develop solutions in an international environment. Antretter has served as a lecturer in the Civil Engineering program at the University of Applied Sciences in Munich, Germany since 2010, and serves on the PHIUS Technical Committee. He has published more than 20 scientific articles in international journals and conference proceedings. |
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MICHELLE APIGIAN
ICON Architecture
Michelle Apigian is an architect, planner and urban designer who combines optimism and pragmatism to design sustainable environments that strengthen communities and celebrate the uniqueness of place. She has worked on a broad array of project types and scales, from large, multi-phase master plans to strategic infill, adaptive reuse and modernization projects. Her work includes the first Passive House certified multifamily project in Massachusetts as well as numerous LEED certified projects.
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Michelle received a B.A. from Dartmouth and an M.Arch and Master of City Planning from MIT. She serves on the Board of several organizations, including Union Square Main Streets, Somerville Community Coalition, and Passive House Mass. She is also a member of DOER’s Zero Energy Advisory Committee and is a frequent speaker on topics including Building Reuse and Passive House design. |
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ROBERT ARLT
Department of Architecture at South Dakota State University
Robert Arlt is an Instructor at the Department of Architecture at South Dakota State University, teaching in the studio and building science sequences. He was born in Minnesota and graduated with a Master of Architecture from North Dakota State University after spending time studying Fine Arts and Architectural History in Florence, Italy.
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He has been practicing award winning architecture for eight years in South Dakota with an emphasis on integrating modern, sustainable approaches and technologies in residential and small commercial design. |
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ALPHA YACOB ARSANO
PhD Student, Architecture and Building Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Alpha Yacob Arsano is a PhD student in Architecture and Building Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Alpha is an Ethiopian architect with a great interest in maximizing passive building strategies in different climatic conditions. She studies the potential of natural ventilation in buildings, thermal comfort of occupants and effect of climate change in various climates around the globe.
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Before coming to MIT for her Master’s study, Alpha was an academic fellow at Transsolar Energietechnik, a climate engineering consultancy firm in Stuttgart, Germany. She had studied architecture at the Ethiopian Institute EiABC in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Alpha has developed a digital design tool named CLIMA+ that can inform building owners, architects and engineers at an early design stage. CLIMA+ is a prototype implemented to bring environmental elements into a built structure and aims to take maximum advantage of the resources from the natural environment. The underlying mission is to promote the design of buildings that use less air-conditioning systems and consume less energy leading to a more sustainable and healthy environment. |
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CHRISTINA AßMANN
Ashley McGraw Architects
A project architect with Ashley McGraw Architects, Christina Aßmann has 15 years of professional experience working on a variety of project types. Her interest in sustainability strategies stems from her upbringing in Germany where her parents instilled a focus on environmental stewardship. Christina’s work embraces the integration of design, sustainability and exceeding her client’s expectations.
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She holds the German equivalent of a M.S. in Architecture from the Universität Stuttgart, Germany and a Master in Architecture from the University of Kansas, where she was part of the renowned Studio 804. Christina is a licensed architect, a LEED Accredited Professional and a Certified Passive House Consultant. |
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AMBER BARTOSH
Syracuse University School of Architecture
Amber Bartosh is a LEED-accredited architect and interior designer who has designed and managed award-winning projects in the United States, China, Kuwait, and the U.A.E. She received her B.A. in Art and Architecture from Rice University and her M.Arch from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc).
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Amber is currently an Assistant Professor at Syracuse University School of Architecture, a Syracuse Center of Excellence Faculty Fellow, and co-director of the Interactive Design and Visualization Lab (IDVL). Her work focuses on the sustainability and resilience of emergent materials and tools for architectural application through physical prototyping, advanced visualization technologies, and hybrid reality simulations. |
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TOM BASSETT-DILLEY
TBDA
Tom Bassett-Dilley is an architect, Certified Passive House Consultant, and founder of TBDA, his firm in Oak Park, IL. TBDA’s mission is to design beautiful, energy-efficient environments where people thrive through connection to nature. Their work focuses on non-toxic construction, energy conservation, and emerging technology in ventilation and energy systems to bring about maximized indoor environmental quality and zero energy capable new buildings and retrofits. He designed the first certified Passive Houses in the Chicago region and the net-zero-energy Austin Gardens Environmental Education Center. |
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JONATHAN BEAN
Jonathan Bean is Assistant Professor of Architecture, Sustainable Built Environments, and Marketing and chair of the Sustainable Market Transformation program at the University of Arizona. He was the faculty lead for the University of Arizona’s team in the 2018 Race to Zero Student Design Competition. The team’s design for a six-unit townhouse building in Tucson, Arizona showed the viability of achieving zero net energy in a hot, arid climate using conventional techniques and readily available materials.
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Bean’s academic research spans the fields of design and marketing, where he is known for his work on taste regimes. He is the Scholarship Coordinator for the Society of Building Science Educators and a Certified Passive House Consultant. His TEDx talk Demand Less explains the transformative potential of passive building. |
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TEDD BENSON
Author, Building Pioneer, Founder and CEO of Bensonwood & Unity Homes
Tedd, founder of Bensonwood (1973) and Unity Homes (2012), has devoted his life to developing a better way to build. Realizing in his youth the undeniable benefits of timber construction, Tedd was a key figure in the revival of timber framing in America. He was one of the founders of the Timber Framers Guild of North America (1984) and authored four books on the subject.
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Through the following decades, Bensonwood established itself as a creative leader in timber frame design, engineering, craftsmanship, and CAD‐CAM technology. Today, Bensonwood continues that forward thinking and leadership, not only pioneering the use of Mass Timber and CLT’s in buildings large and small but also turning their focus towards the development of new systems, processes, logistics and technology that focus on making high performance and sustainable homes the industry norm.
More recently, Tedd developed a state of the art manufacturing facility in Keene, NH. This is one of only a few such facilities in the entire country. Tedd is a nationally known speaker and is the recipient of many awards, including an honorary doctorate from Unity College, and most recently, The Granite State Award in recognition of his national influence on best building practices. |
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JIM BISCHOFF
NK Architects
A Project Architect in Nicholson Kovalchick (NK) Architects’ Pittsburgh office, Jim brings more than 10 years of experience in architecture and construction experience to his role. His previous design experience includes a range of project types including healthcare, higher education and commercial clients, such as the Mayo Clinic and Banner – MD Anderson.
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Jim began his career in construction, working as an assistant superintendent for Turner Construction Company. After obtaining his Masters of Architecture from Savannah College of Art and Design, he worked for a number of small design/build and large international architecture firms, including most recently as a Project Architect at AE Works LTD.
When he’s not working, Jim enjoys attending Pittsburgh Pirates baseball games at PNC Park and renovating his home. |
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STEVEN BLUESTONE
The Bluestone Organization
Steve Bluestone, a partner in The Bluestone Organization (a 3rd generation, 89 year old NYC development/contracting/property management firm), has led his company’s efforts to construct at no extra cost, many large, affordable, multi-family residential buildings using off the shelf components that have achieved record breaking low energy consumption levels. In 2015, Steve completed construction on the first structure built with autoclaved aerated concrete walls North America to reach PHIUS certification.
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His firm (The Bluestone Organization) is currently constructing a 7 story, 101 unit rental apartment building and several single family homes (for homeowners who lost their houses during Superstorm Sandy) that are all aiming to achieve PHIUS certification. His firm currently has 2,500+ units of housing in their pipeline that they when built will all affordably reach the Passive House standard. Steve is passionate about seeking out the simplest foolproof materials and systems available to achieve the highest performance possible. |
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MICHAEL BOUSFIELD
Cascadia Windows and Doors
Michael Bousfield is one of the most well-versed technologists in fiberglass window and door technology in BC. In 2005, Michael attended BCIT to prepare for a career shift from logistics to architecture and building engineering. Two years later, he entered the full-time BCIT program of Architecture & Building Engineering Technology, specializing in Building Science. He completed this program with honors, and was awarded BCBEC/BCIT Building Science Award for his academic achievements.
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During his studies at BCIT, Michael also worked for RDH Building Engineering as a building science technologist. He performed forensic investigations into building enclosure failures, designed rehabilitation programs, and performed field review and testing for large-scale new and rehabilitation construction projects.
In 2009, Michael pursued the opportunity to focus his technical knowledge and experience in building science to a specific sector of the industry – windows. He is now the Technical Director of Cascadia Windows and Doors. At Cascadia, Michael blends several roles – business development, and technical systems oversight, and product development.
The blend of these roles allows Michael to interface with clients and consultants in a technical capacity, and also to serve Cascadia’s own team by directing internal technical and product development, testing, and engineering. |
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AMY BOYD
Amy Boyd is Senior Attorney in Acadia Center’s Boston office. She works on energy efficiency, demand management, local energy resources, grid modernization, and climate change issues, with a particular focus on Massachusetts state policy. Amy holds Acadia Center’s seat on the Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Advisory Council, a stakeholder board that works with utilities to carry out their mandate to purchase all cost-effective energy efficiency.
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Amy comes to Acadia Center from Foley Hoag LLP in Boston, where she was an associate in the Environmental Practice Group & Administrative Department for 8 years. Amy serves on the Sustainability Committee for her adopted hometown of Natick. Prior to law school, Amy managed political campaigns in Oklahoma and New Jersey. Amy holds a JD cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law and a BA in Environmental Studies from Wellesley College. |
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CHRISTOPHER BRILEY
Briburn
Chris Briley is a founding partner and principal architect at BRIBURN. In late 2012 he teamed up with Architect Harry Hepburn and founded BRIBURN where they practice “architecture for life”, specializing in energy efficient, environmentally friendly design.
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For seven years prior to this he was the principal architect and founder of the Green Design Studio in Yarmouth, Maine. Chris is a Maine Licensed Architect and a Certified Passive House Consultant. He is an adviser and blogger at greenbuildingadvisor.com and co-host of the Green Architects’ Lounge podcast. He is an enthusiastic participant and part-time moderator for the Building Science Discussion Group in Portland, Maine, a founding member of the USGBC Maine Chapter, and a founding board member of the passivhausMAINE. |
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ENRIQUE BUENO
E+Buildings
Enrique Bueno holds a degree in Chemical Engineer with 40 years of experience in process industry and for the past six years has been a Certified Passive House Consultant working as Senior Engineer at E+Buildings. Enrique is a founding member of the VT Passive House organization, presently serving as Board’s Chair of the organization, and has worked in new construction as well as retrofit energy modeling jobs to meet the Passive House Standard. |
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KAREN BUSHEY
Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, PHIUS+ Rater
Karen joined Vermont Energy Investment Corporation in 2014 as a residential energy consultant with the goal of helping homeowners, builders and architects create comfortable, durable, low energy homes that optimize building performance. A licensed architect, certified Passive House consultant and PHIUS+ Rater, Karen has over 20 years of experience in the field of architecture and low environmental impact building design and construction.
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Karen earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Carnegie Mellon University and spent a year of her studies as an exchange student at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. Karen’s knowledge of high-performance design and experience working closely with numerous contractors has been key to the success of many residential and commercial projects in New England. Karen is currently serving as secretary of Vermont Passive House. |
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KARLA BUTTERFIELD
Steven Winter Associates
Ms. Butterfield is a Sustainability Director at Steven Winter Associates, working with residential buildings. Her expertise is in sustainable consulting services, program certification support and implementation of high performance building technologies. With architects, developers, builders, and homeowners, she develops specific sustainability strategies for both new construction and renovations.
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Karla is an integral part of the initial strategic planning sessions and stakeholder workshops based on program criteria; she verifies in the LEED® for Homes, Passive House, Energy Star, Zero Energy Ready Homes, Indoor airPLUS, WaterSense and National Green Building Standard programs. |
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MARTHA CAMPBELL
RMI
Martha is part of the Residential Energy+ (RE+) team in RMI’s Buildings Practice and leads the REALIZE initiative.
Prior to joining RMI, Martha attended the University of Michigan where she earned a dual master’s degree in environmental science and business administration. During her time in graduate school she focused on conservation finance and social entrepreneurship. Prior to graduate school, Martha worked for the Alliance for Climate Protection in Taos, New Mexico.
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Martha is originally from El Paso, Texas, with professional experiences as varied as learning green building techniques as a construction intern from renegade eco architect Mike Reynolds, working for Rio Tinto’s Sustainable Development team, field organizing in northern New Mexico, and program trading in the equities division of Goldman Sachs.
Martha also developed and supports RE+’s Finance the Future initiative that is focused on increasing access to capital for home energy improvements in the U.S. market. |
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DUANE CARTER
SCB
Duane Carter leads SCB’s research and work in the areas of sustainability and building performance, including consulting with project teams to set sustainability and performance goals and assess appropriate strategies. Duane’s 20+ years of experience includes design and project management on a wide variety of projects.
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His most recent projects include Tooker House, a LEED Gold living/learning community at Arizona State University; the LEED Platinum Peter B. Lewis Gateway Center at Oberlin College; Solaire, a LEED Gold multi-family residential tower in San Francisco; and the LEED Platinum Classroom and Academic Office Building at the University of California, Merced. Duane was a member of the SCB team that was awarded First Place in the Sunwall National Solar Design Competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Duane is the Board Chair for Foresight Design, a non-profit that provides education and community building for sustainable transformation in the Midwest. He is a frequent speaker on sustainable design and building performance assessment at national conferences, and is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). |
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MARK CARVER
CanmetENERGY, Natural Resources Canada
A mechanical engineer by training, Mark’s experience includes high performance building enclosure design and evaluation, energy and hygrothermal modeling, deep retrofit and net-zero optimization. He was NRCan’s project manager for the ecoEII national net-zero demonstration project.
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Mark is leading CanmentENERGY’s Prefabricated Exterior Energy Retrofit (PEER) R&D project. PEER seeks to develop, test and validate innovative prefabricated building envelope technologies for retrofitting existing Canadian homes from the exterior. The project is also examining novel 3D scanning and imaging technologies in order to rapidly and accurately capture building dimensions in sufficient resolution to fabricate precisely-fit panels. |
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XI CHEN
China Academy of Building Research
Ms. Chen is Associate Research Fellow of China Academy of Building Research, Institute of Building Environment and Energy. She is member of China Passive Building Alliance.
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Ms. Chen has 10 years of experience in building energy performance in China. She has participated in the research program including: Consultant for energy performance benchmarking and disclosure in large public and commercial buildings (GEF); US Department of State’s (DOS) Improving Energy Efficiency in Buildings through Improved Operations etc.; and the national standard Design Standard for Energy Efficiency of Public Buildings, Passive Building Guideline for residential buildings, Technical Standard of Nearly Zero Energy Building etc. for China. |
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DONNA CHILDS
China Academy of Building Research
Donna Childs is the founder and chief executive of Prisere LLC, an enterprise that builds capacity for climate and disaster risk resilience. Prisere’s clients include the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery and its Climate Lab and the Asian Development Bank among others. Prisere LLC is the recipient of an Innovation Voucher from CommerceRI to work with the architecture department of the Rhode Island School of Design to examine disaster resilience of various commercial building designs suitable for small businesses. |
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ROBERT CLARKE
Robert Clarke Associates
Robert Clarke has a long resume of positions, including Co -Founder of Southwall “Heat Mirror”, R&D General Partner and Southwall Board Member, and Founder of Alpen High Performance Glass and Windows. In addition to this, Clarke was instigator and overseer of onsite “re-manufacture” of 13,028 insulating glass units at the Empire State Building. He is currently the principal of Robert Clarke Associates, strategic marketing consultant to five high-performance glazing manufacturers. |
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ADAM COHEN
As an active builder, architect and high-performance building expert, Adam Cohen is a leading North American Passivhaus practitioner whose innovative work on market rate delivery of commercial high-performance building has made his expertise sought-after for projects across North America.
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As a recognized North American leader in both the Passivhaus and Integrated Project Delivery movements he has presented technical papers at both national and international conferences. His leadership in commercial Passivhaus design and IPD has made him a sought-after speaker, consultant and teacher of advanced courses in market rate delivery ultra-low energy design.
He served as Vice-Chair of the Passive House Institute US technical committee for 5 years and co-authored and taught the Passive House Institute US’s builder training curriculum. Adam is a current board member of Yestermorrow Design/Build School and Passive Buildings Canada. |
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BRITTANY COUGHLIN
RDH
Brittany Coughlin is a professional engineer with over 10 years of experience in energy efficient and sustainable buildings. Her work comprises a wide range of projects including Passive House, new and existing building energy studies, energy efficiency research, and policy and program consulting. Brittany is an ASHRAE Building Energy Modelling Professional (BEMP), a Passive House Certifier, and a LEED Accredited Professional (BD+C). She has presented at conferences across North America on a variety of topics related to energy consumption and conservation in buildings. |
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HUGH CROWTHER
Swegon
Hugh Crowther is Vice President – Engineering for Swegon North America. Swegon is a manufacturer of HVAC equipment. Hugh has over 25 years experience in the application, design and commissioning of applied HVAC systems and is an expert on large HVAC system design, high performance buildings and sustainable buildings. He has lectured on system design all over the world.
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Hugh is a Professional Engineer (On., Canada) with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University. Hugh is an ASHRAE Member. Hugh has twice been on the Board of Directors for the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). He has held multiple positions within the Society in areas of Technology and Standards. Hugh has written articles for the ASHRAE Journal, High Performance Buildings, HPAC Engineering and Engineered Systems as well as numerous application guides on a wide range of HVAC topics. |
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JORDAN DENTZ
Levy Partnership
Jordan Dentz is vice president of The Levy Partnership, Inc. (TLP), a research and consulting firm specializing in building performance and energy efficiency with an active Passive House practice including design and field testing. Mr. Dentz has shepherded many Passive House projects through certification as well as numerous other high performance buildings.
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Jordan has more than 20 years of experience as a consultant and technical advisor to the building industry. His work has focused in the area of building energy efficiency, electric demand response, and residential systems building including factory built housing. In his capacity at The Levy Partnership, Mr. Dentz is senior project manager for the ARIES Collaborative, one of the research teams that comprise the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America program; and for the Systems Building Research Alliance, the research arm of the modular and manufactured home industry.
Since 2009 Mr. Dentz has been the lead Passive House consultant on numerous Passive House projects including the Hudson Passive Project, the first to be certified in New York State. He holds a M.S. in Building Technology and a B.S. in Architecture, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. |
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BRIAN DOUGLAS
Wheaton College
Brian Douglas serves as Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration of Wheaton College. Appointed in early 2012, he serves as the CFO and COO of the college with direct supervision of human resources, IT, finance, accounting, facilities, business services, and public safety. Prior to Wheaton, Brian served as Associate Vice President, Budget, Planning and Administration at the University of Massachusetts, where he was responsible for developing operating and capital budgets for the university, as well as leading efforts to improve effectiveness and leverage economies of scale.
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Prior to that he was Associate Vice President, Learning Technologies (2007-2008), Chief Technology Officer (2004-2007) and Director of Technology and Operations (2000-2004), all at UMassOnline. He earned a BA in Philosophy and Religion from Colgate University, and an M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education. |
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STEPHEN FEIGE
Goody Clancy
Stephen has more than 20 years of experience in the design and management of technically and programmatically complex projects with a core competency in existing building rehabilitation and adaptive reuse. He has worked on a variety of public and private projects including government and academic buildings ranging in scale from $10-$500 million in construction cost.
Stephen has been engaged in all phases of the design and construction process for clients including Harvard University, Yale University, the University of Virginia, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. |
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PRUDENCE FERREIRA
PHIUS CPHC Trainer, Passivscience
Prudence is a senior member of Morrison Hershfield’s Building Performance Analysis team and serves as the firm’s Passive House Lead. Formerly Managing Director of Passive Science LLC, she specializes in large scale multi-family and non-residential passive buildings and has modeled over 1.2 million square feet of passive projects including over 170 thousand square feet of non-residential and 920 dwelling units to date.
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Ms. Ferreira is also a Certified Instructor for the Passive House Institute US and regularly teaches the Certified Passive House Consultant training, Prudence served on the PHIUS Board of Directors from 2011-2018 and is a founding member of the PHIUS Technical Committee. Ms. Ferreira has consulted on passive house projects across 7 different climate zones.he US. |
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IAN FINLAYSON
Deputy Director of Energy Efficiency at the Department of Energy Resources in Massachusetts
Ian Finlayson is the Deputy Director of Energy Efficiency at the Department of Energy Resources in Massachusetts. He has been responsible for energy code development for the state since 2008, as well as oversight of their nation-leading energy efficiency investment plans for 2015-2018 and 2018-2021.
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His current green building portfolio includes implementation of stretch energy codes, building energy labeling and efficiency pilots, and contributions to the clean energy and climate planning for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.Prior to joining state government, Ian worked for a large US affordable housing developer, as well as in Japan and Afghanistan. He holds degrees from Edinburgh University, and MIT. |
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CRAIG FOLEY
Sustainable Real Estate Consulting Services
Craig Foley is the founder of Sustainable Real Estate Consulting Services, a LEED Green Associate and chief of energy solutions for RE/MAX Leading Edge. Craig’s combination of real estate and energy management skills give him a unique perspective about sustainable energy solutions and subject matter expertise on greening the MLS and high-performance home valuation and marketing. As a real estate broker, he has sold several high-performance projects in and around Greater Boston with RE/MAX Leading Edge. |
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MIKE FOWLER
Mithun
Mike Fowler is an architect at Mithun in Seattle, WA and President of Passive House Northwest. He has 25+ years of experience on award-winning projects including two net-zero energy designs. He has served on two Technical Advisory Groups for the Washington State Building Code Council (Energy Code and Green Building) and has chaired the Codes and Planning Policy Committee for AIA Washington Council.
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In a 2011-2014 stint away from architecture, Mike managed the Multifamily New Construction and the Residential New Construction energy efficiency financial incentive programs at Puget Sound Energy. There he created the first whole-building residential measure with an incentive for predicted low-energy use design and a bonus incentive for actual metered energy use hitting in the design target range.
In 2016, Mike co-founded the Council on Airtightness Performance Excellence (CAPE) with the group goal to become a regional resource for policy, design, and construction practice. |
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JEFFREY GEPHART
Vermontwise Energy Services
Jeffrey Gephart is president of Vermontwise Energy Services, Inc. an energy services company in Rochester, Vermont, he co-founded in 1997. He has 20 years of experience in residential new construction energy-efficiency program design and implementation.
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On behalf of Efficiency Vermont, Jeff works with architects, builders, developers, trade allies, and consumers building ENERGY STAR® certified homes, LEED for Homes, National Green Building Standard, and Passive House projects. With the Vermont Green Home Alliance he is working with appraisers, mortgage lenders, realtors, the regional MLS, and others to ensure energy-efficient and sustainable building practices are appropriately valued in the housing market. |
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JAMES GEPPNER
Erase40
Following his years in Project Finance, where he evaluated companies and studied markets, James advised small and large companies on what’s shaping a market or a behavior. Recently, he started Erase40.org to increase demand for passive buildings using behavioral science.
He is currently developing tools to help architects and builders in their interactions with home buyers and developers—so they can be better at identifying likely buyers and get prospects to place a higher value on the attributes of passive buildings. He is a graduate of NYU and of SGIB’s investment banking program. |
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NIKHILESH GHANTA
MIT
Nikhilesh Ghanta is currently studying a Master of Science in Computation for Design and Optimization program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he is a graduate research assistant. He had completed a duel degree in mechanical engineering with specialization in energy technology at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
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Before joining graduate school, he worked as operations executive at Wipro Infrastructure Engineering that is based in India. He was a research assistant at the Center of Smart Interfaces at TU-Darmstadt where he developed CFD-based numerical compressible-phase change solver in OpenFOAM. |
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ALAN GIBSON
G O Logic LLC
Alan Gibson is a builder and partner in G O Logic LLC of Belfast, Maine, where he is chiefly responsible for construction operations. Since 2009 he has managed construction of three certified passive buildings and a 36-unit co-housing community built to near-passive standards,
among other projects. The GO Home, completed in 2010, was the first certified passive house in Maine and recipient of the US Green Building Council’s Residential Project of the Year award in 2011.
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Terrahaus, the country’s first passive house-certified dormitory, received the Evergreen Award from Eco-Structure magazine in 2012. Alan holds a BA from Brown University and is a Certified Passive House Builder and Certified Passive House Designer. He has been a business owner since 1992 and speaks widely on passive design and construction. |
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MARK GOODMAN
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PAUL GRAHOVAC
Build SMART LLC.
Paul Grahovac brings his varied background as a construction litigation attorney, DOE technology commercialization evaluator, building envelope product specialist, and business development executive. He is excited to bear on demonstrating to developers the financial benefits of building to the Passive House standard using prefabrication for accelerated construction. |
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WALTER GRONDZIK
Walter Grondzik is a Professor of Architecture at Ball State University, an architectural engineer, and a licensed professional engineer. His academic and professional interests include high-performance building design and all areas of building environmental control systems and their effects on buildings and occupants. Grondzik is author of Principles of Building Commissioning and co-author of Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings (10th, 11th and 12th editions) and The Green Studio Handbook (1st, 2nd and 3rd editions).
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He is an ASHRAE Fellow, a Fellow of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES), and recipient of the ASES Passive Pioneer Award. Grondzik is past-president of the Society of Building Science Educators (SBSE), past-president of the Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC), and is currently President of the Board of the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS). |
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KARAN GUPTA
Build SMART LLC.
Karan Gupta is an Energy Efficient Design Specialist at Build SMART North America with several years of experience specializing in new construction, building retrofits and energy conservation measures, active energy management strategies, building energy modeling, project design and planning, and financial analysis. He is a CPHC® (Certified Passive House Consultant) and a PHIUS Certified Builder. He holds a BA in Economics from New York University and Master’s degrees in Environmental Management and Forestry from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. |
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CHRIS HAMM
Steven Winter Associates
Chris Hamm is a Building Systems Engineer and Passive House Consultant at Steven Winter Associates, Inc. With one year of professional experience and two years of research in the design and construction of low-energy buildings, Chris is focused on furthering the high performance building process from design and energy modeling to implementation and testing. Chris’s experience has been primarily with the design of Passive House (PH) buildings including single family, multi-family, student residences, and mixed-use buildings. |
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JAMES HARTFORD
River Architects
James is a partner in the firm River Architects that he runs with his wife, Juhee. James is a founder and current president of the Passive House Alliance- Hudson Valley Chapter, and frequently presents on Passive House to the public and professional communities, including the NY State Office of General Services, the USGBC- NY Upstate annual Sustainability Expo, and several events across NY State for NYSERDA.
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River Architects has 5 full time architects, all of whom are Certified Passive House Consultants. River Architects has been pioneering commercial passive buildings- including the PHIUS Certified Silver Lake Conference Center Dormitory, and the soon to break ground Seminary Hill Cidery.
James holds a Master’s Degree in architecture from the State University of NY at Buffalo, taught graduate-level architecture at Kyonggi University in Seoul, Korea, and studied abroad at Darmstadt Technical University in Germany. |
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HARRY HEPBURN
BRIBURN
Harry Hepburn is a founding partner and principal architect at BRIBURN. He has over 21 years of professional experience in project planning, design, management, administration and construction of a large portfolio of architectural projects.
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In late 2012 Harry teamed up with Architect, Christopher Briley and founded BRIBURN. Together they practice “architecture for life”, specializing in energy efficient, environmentally friendly design. Prior to founding BRIBURN, Harry practiced Architecture at leading firms in Portland, Boston and Hartford; Providing design, leadership and management on many Residential, Civic, Educational and Institutional projects.
Harry is a registered Architect in Maine and Massachusetts, he is LEED accredited, and has taught design studios at the Boston Architectural College. |
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JACOB HIGGINBOTTOM
SGA
As Director of Higher Education at SGA, Jacob leads all projects in this market sector. These include projects in student life, student residences, classroom facilities, faculty and administrative spaces, student health and wellness and lifestyle centers. Jacob is a registered architect and LEED-accredited professional with over two decades of experience in the programming, planning, design and construction of a range of facility types for academic, healthcare, and corporate clients.
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Focused in the Boston area, Jacob is passionate about sustainable design, student life, adaptive reuse, technology in design, high performance buildings and corporate lifestyle trends.
A graduate of Lehigh University and the Boston Architectural College, as well as Columbia University “Shape of Two Cities” urban planning program, Jacob leverages his civil engineering background with his design knowledge towards helping plan and design complex projects. |
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MICHAEL HINDLE
Passive to Positive
Michael Hindle became a Passive House Consultant (PHIUS) in early 2010. He is owner and principal of Passive to Positive and has consulted on Passive House, zero-energy, and Living Building Challenge projects. He has worked on single and multi-family residential, and small commercial projects from New Hampshire to Washington DC. He has experience in both new construction and retrofits and a commitment to low toxicity and GWP building methods and materials.
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His first multi-family project, Weinberg Commons, in Washington DC won the PHIUS 2017 Affordable Project of the year award, and is to date, the only PH Certified retrofit apartment building in the country. Michael has served on the board of the Passive House Alliance of the United States and the Passive House Institute/US. |
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GARY HODGDEN
ANSI/AARST Consortium on National Radon Standards
Mr. Hodgden is currently the Secretariat for the ANSI/AARST Consortium on National Radon Standards where he provides technical writing, oversight and coordination for radon standards that are promulgated under consensus processes accredited by the American National Standards Institute.
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With related field experience dating back to before 1980, Mr. Hodgden has engaged over two decades of service with the AARST Technical and Science Committee, Regional Radon Training Centers, Technical Review and Policy Advisory Boards for radon certification programs and ASTM task groups.
Prior pertinent background: Mr. Hodgden was introduced to the building industry through rehab and maintenance of family rental property in 1970. Mr. Hodgden joined the family owned building inspection business in 1982. With additional background in electronic technology and public relations, Mr. Hodgden directed his full attention to radon in 1992. |
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JAMIE HOWLAND
Acadia’s Center’s Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Initiative
Jamie Howland is the Director of Acadia’s Center’s Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Initiative. He has extensive experience in energy efficiency policy and energy markets analysis. He has co-authored numerous publications at Acadia Center, including EnergyVision 2030, ClimateVision2020, and Energy Efficiency: Engine of Economic Growth.
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Jamie has represented Acadia Center as a member of the Connecticut Energy Advisory Board and the chair of the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Board. Jamie spent several years in engineering and consulting with Hewlett Packard before joining Acadia Center. He holds master’s degrees in environmental management and engineering from Yale. |
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MICHAEL INGUI
Baxt Ingui Architects
Michael Ingui and the team at Baxt Ingui Architects have brought a high level of design to Passive House through many award winning projects in Brooklyn and Manhattan, creating beautiful homes that are Passive Certified, LEED certified, and NetZero. Baxt Ingui has also brought together many of the contractors and consultants working on their Passive House projects to cultivate a larger collaborative effort to create buildable, affordable Passive House projects in the NYC area.
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Baxt Ingui has completed over 7 certified passive houses and are in progress with 6 more. Completed projects include the first Landmarked Certified passive house, Manhattan’s first certified project (this house is also LEED Platinum), and the first Passive Plus house in the United States. We have learned that building smarter and more energy efficient can be incorporated into any project while continuing to create beautiful, well-crafted, and unique homes. |
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GRAHAM IRWIN
Essential Habitat Architecture
Graham Irwin, AIA, CPHC, is the principal of Essential Habitat Architecture, a Northern California practice focused on healthy, high performance, sustainable buildings built to Passive Building standards. He has a degree in physics, with additional studies in engineering and architecture, and an extensive background in software development.
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His firm has worked on numerous single-family, multi-family and commercial projects throughout California and the US, including the first certified Passive House in California, the first certified Passive House retrofit in the US, and the first certified multi-family Passive House in the US. He is a licensed architect and licensed general contractor in the state of California. Graham is a founding partner of CaliPASSIV, a “pocket production” Passive Building developer. |
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LINDSEY KIEFFABER
LHB
Lindsey Kieffaber is an architect at LHB Architect & Engineers. Lindsey has been with LHB for 3 years, working in both the Housing and Research Studios, striving to fold more sustainability and energy efficiency into each project. She received her master of Architecture degree from the University of Minnesota.
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Prior to her masters degree she worked as a construction project manager for Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut, where she project managed 19 homes and was responsible for developing and improving the sustainability measures implemented on all homes built by Habitat ECT. She leverages her construction and build ability knowledge into her architectural practice with LHB. |
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DAVE KIMBALL
After thirty-four years at a major Silicone Sealant company, Dave Kimball retired five years ago, and started anew with PROSOCO, Inc., as a Senior Technical Specialist in the Building Envelop Group, covering the North Atlantic and Mid-West Regions from his office in Brooklyn, NY.
While Dave spent years living in many different parts of the country, primarily in a Technical Service role, working on Weatherseal, Structural Glazing, and exterior coatings applications, the unique challenge that rough opening preparation and Air and Vapor Barriers brings is inspiring.
Dave thanks all attendees for the opportunity to have a discussion at conference. |
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KATRIN KLINGENBERG
PHIUS Executive Director & Co-Founder
Katrin is the executive director of the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS), Chicago, Illinois, USA. PHIUS is an organization committed to making high-performance passive building the mainstream market standard. After studying at the Technische Universitaet in Berlin, Germany and graduating from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana with a master’s degree in architecture in 1996, Katrin began her career in architecture with Murphy/Jahn in Chicago, Illinois.
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She then worked for the architecture firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz in Chicago. In 2002, she started her own firm and became a registered architect in Germany. In 2007, Katrin co-founded the Passive House Institute US to work on education. She is the executive and the lead instructor for the PHIUS Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC) training. She also directs the technical and research programs at PHIUS which has trained over 2,000 architects, engineers, energy consultants, energy raters and builders in passive building standards. PHIUS has become the leading passive building research and information provider in North America.
Katrin has written and co-authored magazine articles and book contributions. She has also presented internationally on the topic of passive building science and won the Woman in Sustainability Leadership Award in 2015. |
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BENJAMIN KNOPP
Think Little Home Energy
Benjamin Knopp is a building science consultant at Think Little Home Energy in Charlottesville, VA. He has a background in building construction, engineering, building science and a passion for energy efficiency. Benjamin studied engineering at Virginia Tech and the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany.
At Think Little, he consults with architects, builders, and homeowners on building durability and energy efficiency. He also designs and commissions mechanical systems for high performance, low-energy homes and apartment buildings. |
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JONATHAN KNOWLES
Professor of Architecture, RISD
Jonathan R. Knowles, RA, Professor of Architecture, brings his knowledge of building technology and advanced construction systems to his teaching at RISD. Professionally, he has over 30-years of experience designing and managing large-scale architectural projects. Jonathan has been teaching at RISD since 2001. He was co-project director for RISD’s 2005 Solar Decathlon entry in Washington, D.C. and project director for RISD’s 2014 Techstyle Haus entry in Versailles, France.
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He has taught at the Parsons School of Design, Cornell University, and Columbia University. Jonathan is also a practicing architect and Passive House consultant in Providence, RI, where he is a partner at Briggs Knowles Studio. His work is dedicated to the design and construction of net-zero architecture. Jonathan’s design studio’s and technology seminar’s are devoted exclusively to the subjects of performative architecture, defined as buildings that produce energy through the form of the building and/or the technical makeup of the enclosure.
In 2008, he initiated the first of a series of pilot projects with the Department of Engineering at Brown University. The most recent, Techstyle Haus, was based on highly engineered components and efficient construction. Totally solar powered, the building system has the potential to be implemented in various applications, including single and multi-family housing. |
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JESPER KRUSE
PassivhausMAINE
Jesper Kruse is the owner of Maine Passive House and a founding member of PassivhausMAINE. He is a Certified Passive House Consultant and builds and designs Passive Houses and other high performance buildings in the mountains of Western Maine. |
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ALISON KWOK
Professor of Architecture, University of Oregon
Alison G. Kwok, PHD, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, is an architect and a Professor of Architecture at the University of Oregon, Eugene, teaching design studios, seminars in building performance, and environmental technology. Kwok is a CPHC® (Certified Passive House Consultant) and a Fellow of the American Solar Energy Society. Her research includes identifying adaptive and mitigation strategies for climate change, thermal comfort, and building performance case studies. |
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JAIS KWON
FXCollaborative
Jais Kwon is a Sustainability Design Specialist at FXCollaborative. Jais works with design teams to incorporate sustainable design elements and ideas into projects. Understanding the importance of environmentally conscious building, Jais joins the design team early in the design process to achieve a high standard of building performance. Using sophisticated environmental modeling and analysis tools, paired with new and innovative building techniques, she is able to create optimized design scenarios across scales and typologies. |
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ROB LEONARD
Build SMART LLC.
Rob Leonard is VP of Production & Field Support at Build SMART, LLC. He brings over 35 years of experience in all aspects of construction, including direct field hands-on experience in carpentry, plumbing, heating, and general construction.
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Rob has deliberately pursued the building sciences for over a decade. Rob has always had a passion for constructing buildings in more efficient and sustainable approaches in development and implementation with the ultimate goal of providing building owners and occupants the optimal places to live and work in an attainable approach. Rob helped develop the Build SMART Building Envelope Systems.
Rob spreads the dual message of energy consciousness and building occupant health choices through his career and through various presentations. |
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JAY LEPPLE
Bensonwood Company Steward and Team Leader
Jay leads operations of the Building Systems manufacturing facility that produces wall, floor, and roof enclosures for Bensonwood and Unity Homes. A certified passive house builder with more than 20 years of applied construction experience, Jay has been instrumental in the research and development of Bensonwood products.
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After touring and studying building prefabrication systems in Sweden, Germany and Great Britain, Jay is now training new leaders in the manufacturing and installation of prefabricated enclosures and he serves as an instructor for partner builder classes at Bensonwood. Jay was a presenter at the 2016 Passivhouse conference and collaborated with the television series, This Old House, on the Bensonwood Weston house in 2006.
Jay was a premier installer of SIP’s prior to working for Bensonwood and in that capacity has worked on many complex Timberframe and prefabricated building projects, including his own home which he built to Passivhaus standards in 2017. |
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LI JI
Li Ji is a senior engineer working at the China Academy of Building Research. He is mainly engaged in building energy conservation, building energy simulation analysis, new energy and renewable energy construction and other technical research.
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As the first person in charge, he won the first prize of the 6th China Architecture Society Excellent HVAC Engineering Design Award (the highest design honor in the HVAC industry), the 2017 China Architecture Design Award (the highest honor in the national architectural design field) and the second prize of the 2017 China Construction Science and Technology Award.
As an important researcher, he also presided over the research of a number of major national science and technology support program projects, participated in the preparation of many national industry standards and works, obtained three software copyrights and patents, and published many articles in academic papers including five articles in SCI. He is also responsible for a number of regional energy planning and energy station design work project and green building and near-zero energy project consulting.
He is a scientific researcher who dares to use innovative methods to study technology and an outstanding young man who is dedicated and responsible. |
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MAREN LONGHURST
Maren manages a busy schedule in the studio of Sam Rodell Architects as an intern architect and project manager. She is particularly interested in high performance architecture and building science, using site analysis along with three dimensional thermal and spatial modeling to design beautiful, efficient buildings that perform reliably, elegantly, and simply.
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She holds a Masters in Architecture from Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and is a Certified Passive House Consultant, certified LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environment) professional, and a WELL Accredited Professional (a credential that signifies knowledge in health and wellness in the built environment and specialization in the WELL Building Standard). Maren is also on the Passive House Northwest advisory board. |
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CHARLES MACBRIDE
Architect and Associate Professor at the South Dakota State University Department of Architecture
Charles MacBride, AIA, NCARB, is an architect and associate professor at the South Dakota State University Department of Architecture. He has been teaching and practicing for over 20 years, with specializations in urbanism, history, housing, and building technology. He co-founded the DoArch Public Works program, and is the recipient of a grant to develop the South Dakota Passive Housing Initiative.
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MacBride is the DoArch Professional Program Coordinator and also serves as the department’s AXP Education Coordinator. He holds degrees from Columbia and Penn State, and has previously taught at Iowa State University and the University of Colorado Denver. |
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PAUL MALKO
FOARD
Paul Malko worked in the industrial automation field for 12 years after earning a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University. In 2003 Paul escaped from suburbs and moved to Vermont. Since 2004, Paul has worked at Foard Panel, helping residential and commercial clients optimize durability, structure, and energy performance.
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Paul has lectured extensively on SIP design, structural performance, and long-term durability in New England. He is also leads Foard’s product development and in-house testing efforts and is Foard’s Quality Assurance Manager. Paul is a past chairman of the SIPA Code Listing Committee and a member of the Manufacturing and Technical committees. Paul has also been deeply involved with the Timber Framers Guild as a founding member of the Timber Frame Engineering Council, and past board member of the Timber Frame Business Council. |
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TIMOTHY MCDONALD
Onion Flats
Tim is the President of Onion Flats, a development, design,build Collective in Philadelphia committed to building only PH Net Zero Energy buildings. |
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CHRIS MCTAGGART
Building Efficiency Resources
Chris McTaggart is the Co-Principal at Building Efficiency Resources (BER), a national third-party RESNET QA/QC provider working with independent rating companies throughout the United States. Chris serves as the QA/QC manager for the PHIUS+ Rater program and leads the PHIUS+ Rater and the PHIUS+ Verifier training programs. Chris brings a background rich in research, analysis, and logic developed both through his professional experience and formal education at Michigan State University.
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DAVID MEYER
Pathfinder Engineers & Architects
David J. Meyer, PE, LEED AP, CEM,, is a founding Partner of Pathfinder Engineers & Architects LLP, based in Rochester, NY. Mr. Meyer, who has more than 40 years of experience, leads Pathfinder’s Engineering Group. He served as project principal for award-winning designs of special environments facilities and served as Pathfinder’s Principal-in-Charge for the Binghamton University Nuthatch Hollow project.
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He is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York, Massachusetts and Utah, a Certified Energy Manager and a LEED Accredited Professional. He is a member of the American Society Mechanical Engineers, American Council of Engineering Companies, American Society of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, New York State Society of Professional Engineers; and National Fire Protection Association. Mr. Meyer has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. |
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THOMAS MOORE
Steven Winter Associates
Thomas Moore is a Building Systems Analyst and Passive House Consultant at Steven Winter Associates. He possesses two years of experience in the building science field, and focuses primarily on advanced energy modeling, Passive House design consulting, and building performance analysis.
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With a degree in building science, Thomas brings a keen understanding of building envelope systems and energy modeling to the advanced design requirements of Passive House (PH). Thomas has extensive experience on PH projects ranging from large multifamily buildings to single family homes. He has also worked as a project consultant and researcher in a variety of climates and locations spanning the continental U.S. Thomas holds a Passive House Consultant certification – CPHC.
Thomas has extensive experience in performance modeling of multifamily-specific design architectural features and equipment such as cladding attachments and large building mechanical systems. |
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ALISON MOYNIHAN
Foard Panel
Alison Moynihan graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a BA in architecture and math, then realized how little she knew and went on to University of Massachusetts Amherst to get a Masters of Science in Environmental Studies Building Systems (e.g. Green Building). Having decided she now knew enough to ask good questions and how much work it was to find any answers, she is got her Certified Passive House Consultant training at Yestermorrow.
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Alison is currently a Project Manager, Energy Consultant and Assistant Structural Designer for Foard Panel, where she is finally getting a real education in the building industry, and struggling to answer other people’s questions. Alison is a certified energy geek with a specialty in Structural Insulated Panels and a passion for finding practical and sustainable solutions for building design problems. Alison lives in Keene, NH in a terribly inefficient 19th century brick apartment building and dreams of knowing enough to help build a “good enough” building. |
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ELSA MULLIN
Thornton Tomasetti
Elsa Mullin joined Thornton Tomasetti in 2014 and is a Senior Project Consultant in the Building Analytics group for the Sustainability practice. She is responsible for the developing energy models and providing design assistant for the Building Analytics team. She has extensive experience providing energy analysis and sustainability consulting for a variety of projects, particularly for LEED, Passive House, and Eversource. She is proficient in a range of energy simulation engines, including WUFI Passive, DOE 2.2 and Radiance. |
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GENE MYERS
Thrive Home Builders
Gene is owner and CEO of Thrive Home Builders (formerly New Town Builders), Denver’s leader in building green, energy-efficient production homes. His company is also Denver’s largest builder of for-sale affordable housing. Thrive Home Builders has been recognized as EPA’s Millennium Energy Star Builder, EPA’s Leadership Award for Indoor Air Quality, Green Building Magazine’s Green Home of the Year, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Grand Winner for Innovation in Housing for 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. In December 2017, Gene was named Professional Builder magazine’s Builder of the Year. |
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LAURA NETTLETON
Thoughtful Balance
Laura has more than thirty years of experience in development, sustainable design, and community engagement, and she has been on the cutting edge of sustainable and low-energy design solutions for the past two decades.
Upon moving to Pittsburgh, Laura became co-owner of a residential real estate investment and management company that purchases distressed structures and rehabilitates them. Through this work as a building owner, she experiences the challenges of creating and maintaining a desirable product that is both on time and on budget.
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In addition to new construction, Laura has become proficient in the delicate work of preservation and revitalization of older buildings. She is currently involved in a number of Passive House projects, having recently completed the first certified Passive House in Western Pennsylvania and the first Passive House designed multi-family retrofit in the country.
She founded and developed the PHWPA (Passive House of Western Pennsylvania) a group dedicated to information and advocacy for Passive House and is involved in several other green initiatives in Pittsburgh. She was recently nominated by the GBA for their Luminary award and by the Women and Girls Foundation in 2011 for Women Greening the Pittsburgh Region. |
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BRANDON NICHOLSON
NK Architect
Founding Principal of NK, Brandon is dedicated to reducing the impact of buildings on global climate change. A developer in his own right, he uses his own projects to research and develop best practices for cost-effective delivery of zero carbon buildings. He serves as president of Passive House Western Pennsylvania and board member of North American Passive House Network.
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Brandon and NK have won numerous awards for management and design, including the 2014 AIA Housing Award for Park Passive, the first certified Passive House in Seattle; the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s 2017 Innovation and Design Award, in partnership with Thoughtful Balance, for Morningside Crossing, a large scale Passive House retrofit of an abandoned Pittsburgh school building into affordable housing for seniors; and PSMJ’s 2013 Circle of Excellence Top National Architecture Firm award.
Brandon was also the recipient of the AIA’s 2011 Community Service Award for his policy advocacy to improve Seattle City building and land use codes by incorporating green building systems as criteria for development (FAR) bonuses. |
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LESLIE NORFORD
MIT
Leslie Norford is the George Macomber (1948) Professor in Construction Management in the Department of Architecture at MIT. His research focuses on reducing building energy use and associated resource consumption and carbon emissions and his teaching includes project-based efforts to improve schools in developing countries and promote the use of simulation-enhanced building design workflows.
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He has developed fault detection and optimal control strategies for HVAC equipment and explored design options for low-energy space-conditioning systems. Working with mechanical and electrical engineering students at MIT, he has studied how control of HVAC systems can help electric utilities mitigate the impact of power fluctuations associated with wind and PV systems through provision of such services as power reserves and frequency regulation.
A decade of leading a research group in Singapore, under the auspices of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology and related work with colleagues in Abu Dhabi included measurements and models of urban microclimates, with a focus on identifying strategies to reduce the urban heat island effect. His current work in India focuses on indoor and ambient air quality, with emphasis on mitigating the impact of cooking and land-clearing fires in agricultural areas that surround cities. |
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MICHAEL O’DONNELL
Steven Winter Associates
Michael O’Donnell is a Senior Energy Consultant at Steven Winter Associates, Inc. with ten years of energy efficiency and building science experience. He provides consulting, certification support, site inspections, and performance testing for new construction multifamily projects in the New York City region.
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Project types include Passive House (PHI and PHIUS), ENERGY STAR Multifamily High Rise, Enterprise Green Communities, and NYC Energy Code TR8 Inspections with sizes ranging from smaller four-story buildings to large high-rise towers. Michael enjoys working with teams to find solutions to unique project challenges. He currently holds the Certified Energy Manager, Certified Passive House Tradesperson, and BPI Multifamily Building Analyst certifications. |
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SAYO OKADA
Passive House Institute Japan
Sayo Okada, RA CPHC is a registered architect and certified passive house consultant, working as a project manager at Studio G Architects in Boston. Originally from Nara Japan, Sayo grew up with a traditionally trained carpenter father, learning about the importance of detail in buildings. She trained as a passive house consultant in 2010.
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Sayo has been involved in high performance residential projects in the US and Japan, and passive house inspired new construction and energy retrofit for institutional and multifamily projects in the greater Boston area. She is also a board member of the Passive House Institute of Japan, an affiliated organization with the PHIUS in Japan, which was established 2017. |
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JAMES ORTEGA
PHIUS+ Certification Staff
James Ortega joined PHIUS in February of 2015 as a member of the Certification team, where he provides design review and energy modeling services to evaluate project qualifications for PHIUS+ Certification. Ortega works closely with the submitting CPHC to provide feedback on questions pertaining to energy modeling and building plans.
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He also provides consulting services on static and dynamic energy modeling in WUFI Passive and THERM, and spearheads energy modeling deliverables on feasibility studies for projects interested in pursuing PHIUS+ Certification. Ortega holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, and is currently pursuing his architectural licensure. |
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LIZA PAREDES
BarlisWedlick Architects LLC
Liza Paredes is an associate and project manager at BarlisWedlick Architects. In her 12 years at the firm, Liza has managed a number of the firm’s Passive House projects including city residential, rural residential, institutional, and affordable housing. Most notably, she worked with the Kinderhook Seventh Day Adventist Church on the completion of the nation’s first certified passive house church. Liza has been a Certified Passive House Consultant since 2013. |
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WILLEM PAYNTER
Passive Design Solutions
Willem holds a technical diploma in Energy Sustainability Engineering Technology from Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC). While still in school, he provided energy modeling for a sustainable architecture firm. He has also worked on smart grid technology, conducting research at the NSCC Applied Energy Research lab.
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Willem brings many skills to the team, including energy modeling, mechanical and electrical spec writing, and PH certification services. He has a deep knowledge of energy efficiency and believes that all buildings can be comfortable, beautiful, and durable without sacrificing sustainability. |
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RICHARD PEDRANTI
RPA
Richard Pedranti is an architect practicing sustainable residential design throughout eastern Pennsylvania and the state of New York.
Richard earned his Bachelor of Science, Major in Architecture, from Pennsylvania State University in 1987 which included time abroad at the University of Florence in Italy. Pedranti went on to study at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University selecting it because of its dedication to the doctrines of modern architecture. There he studied under some of the world’s leading modern architects receiving a Masters of Architecture in 1990.
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Throughout his early education, Pedranti spent summers working as a framing carpenter and drafting at regional architecture firms including Peter Forbes Associates in Boston widely respected for its residential modernism. He has since served as an adjunct professor for architecture design studios at Temple University, Philadelphia University, and New York Institute of technology.
In the spring of 2012 Richard became a certified passive house consultant and shortly thereafter a HERS rater. By the spring of 2015, he had five passive house projects underway. Originally founded in Manhattan’s Meat Packing District, Richard Pedranti Architect, PC is now headquartered in Milford, Pennsylvania. |
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CHRIS PETRONE
BarlisWedlick Architects
Chris Petrone joined BarlisWedlick Architects in 2013 and has participated on some of the firm’s pioneering work in Passive House design that include rural residential, institutional, and affordable housing. Most notably, Chris has worked with the Columbia County Habitat for Humanity on the completion of their newest certified homes.
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Petrone holds two degrees: a B.S. in Architecture from New York Institute of Technology and a M.S. in Sustainability from The City College of New York. He has been a Certified Passive House Consultant since 2014. |
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HANS PORSCHITZ
Bensonwood Company Steward and COO
Hans, a certified Passive House Builder, leads daily operations at Bensonwood and oversees the company’s research and development of improved systems and products for the construction industry. As a member and coordinator of the collaborative “Open-Prototype Initiative,” he participated in a number of innovative projects including the Net-Zero, LEED Platinum, Unity House and BrightBuilt Barn, as well as the renowned Loblolly house.
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After graduating with an engineering degree in Wood Technology from the University of Applied Science in Rosenheim, Germany, Hans worked as a Research and Development consultant for several German prefabricated housing manufacturers. In 2000, he joined Bensonwood in Walpole, NH and has served many roles in his tenure with the company. |
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ANDRES PINZON, PhD.
PHIUS Certification Staff
Andres Pinzon joined PHIUS in 2017, and he has been a member of the Certification Team since January 2018. In that time he’s worked on research and development of projects related to energy standards in residential buildings.
Pinzon holds a BArch from Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá – Colombia, 2002); an MSc in Building Sciences from Delft University of Technology (Delft – The Netherlands, 2008), and a Doctoral degree in Architecture from Illinois Institute of Technology (2017) as a Fulbright Grantee.
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In addition to his work as a scholar, Andres has researched the thermal comfort in passive buildings, particularly those with transitional spaces such as courtyards. |
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SHELLY POTTORF
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Architecture, Prairie View A&M University
Shelly is a registered architect, a LEED AP, and a Certified Passive House Consultant and Builder. Her work through the AIA Houston Committee on the Environment, Passive House Alliance, and the Houston Regional Resilience Collaborative have established her as a go to leader on sustainability and social justice efforts in Houston.
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As an architect and the principal of Architend, Shelly spearheaded the first project in Texas to seek Living Building Challenge Certification. She is a frequent presenter on sustainable design, including appearances at Gulf Coast Green, the Green Schools National Conference, Texas Society of Architects Conference, Total Energy USA, and the German American Energy Efficiency Conference.
Shelly further extends her reach as an Adjunct Professor in the Prairie View A&M University School of Architecture, where she focuses on regenerative and public interest design. Piloting the PHIUS CPHC curriculum at the university level, Shelly has led Prairie View A&M teams to the Grand Award in the Department of Energy’s Race to Net Zero Competition in 2018 and 2016. |
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MICHAEL PULASKI
Thornton Tomasetti
Michael Pulaski leads Thornton Tomasetti’s Portland, Maine, office. He has more than 10 years of experience in sustainability consulting, providing sustainability strategies and engineering, energy and environmental analysis, and certification management.
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He has worked on several passive house projects including the Village Center Apartments, a 48 affordable housing that won PHIUS 2016 Passive House Projects Competition awards for the Best Multifamily project and Best Affordable project of the year. His clients range from Universities to affordable housing developers for new construction and existing structures. He is well versed in all LEED rating systems, and in Living Building Challenge certification and Passive House standards. |
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ALISON RAY
Alpen
Ali Ray is a senior manager with Alpen responsible for product management, including including the company’s window certification programs, and holds a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont. |
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PAUL RAYMER
ICF
Paul H. Raymer has been working with building science for more than forty years. He has taught building science courses to diverse audiences from home inspectors and weatherization specialists to architects and engineers. He is a Senior Technical Specialist with ICF and the Chief Investigator for Heyoka Solutions and President of the NorthEast Building Science Institute.
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He was a member of the LEED EA Technical Advisory Subcommittee, BPI’s Standards Technical Committee, and is Subcommittee Chair for Heating, Cooling, and Ventilation of the NREL SWS. He is BPI Envelope, Building Analyst, Heating Professional, AC/Heat Pump, and Healthy Home Evaluator certified and a certified HERS Rater. He is an IREC assessor, IREC Certified Master Trainer and he is a full member of ASHRAE. He is also the lead SME for the NREL/IREC QCI micro-credential development project. |
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MARY ROGERO
Associate Professor, Dept. of Architecture and Interior Design, Miami University of Ohio
Mary Rogero, RA, CPHC®, LEED AP, is an Associate Professor and former Chair for the Department of Architecture and Interior Design at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She teaches Passive and Low Energy Design seminars and studios to freshman through graduate level and is currently teaching the CPHC curriculum to students. Prior to teaching, Mary was a principal in the design firm of Rogero Buckman Architects for fifteen years specializing in the adaptive reuse in older buildings.
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With her business partner, she also helped develop a construction company to construct the firm’s designs and a development company. She continues to practice architecture with her firm Rogero Architects. Mary is currently the Chair of the PHAUS Council and Vice President of the PHIUS Board of Directors.
Mary is currently the Chair of the PHAUS Council and Vice President of the PHIUS Board of Directors. |
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MATT ROOT
Integrated Eco Strategy (IES)
Matt Root, Integrated Eco Strategy (IES), manages healthy materials and energy related projects in the Boston region for projects pursuing Living Building Challenge certification, or at least inspired by the program’s intent. He also develops new projects and represent IES at regional and national conferences.
Matt joined the IES team after serving as a building performance consultant for over 13 years on large multifamily and commercial projects. His experience spans mechanical systems, enclosure detailing, and performance testing. |
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MARC ROSENBAUM
South Mountain
Marc Rosenbaum, P.E. is a long-time student of making great buildings. He uses an integrated systems design approach to help people create buildings and communities connected to the natural world, supporting both personal and planetary health. Much of his recent work has been Zero Net Energy Buildings, Deep Energy Retrofits and Passive Houses. His work has been recognized nationally by ASHRAE, AIA, EEBA, and NESEA, but they didn’t see all the mistakes along the way. |
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JOHN SARTER
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COLIN SCHLESS
Thornton Tomasetti
Colin Schless, CPHC, LEED AP BD+C, has more than 11 years of experience in green building consultancy and leads Thornton Tomasetti Engineering’s Western Region building analytics group. He specializes in commercial building energy modeling, daylight analysis, climate analysis, simulation tool development, and data visualization.
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In addition, Schless manages Thornton Tomasetti’s efforts with monitoring installations that provide real-time energy and resource consumption data to facilities managers and building occupants. Schless received his Master of Architecture in 2010 from the University of Oregon, where he worked as a Research Fellow at the Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory.
His project experience ranges from a 340,000 sf museum in Riyadh Saudi Arabia, to the Net-Zero Bosarge Family Education Center in Boothbay, Maine, to 120 mixed use buildings owned and operated by Sweden’s largest real estate property holder, Vasakronan. Colin was the CPHC on Village Centre in Brewer, Maine, a 48-unit affordable housing project that won PHIUS’ 2016 Passive Projects Competition awards for the Best Multifamily project and Best Affordable project of the year. |
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TOM SCHNEIDER
Building Envelope Innovations
Tom Schneider is Director of Operations at Building Envelope Innovations. He has been developing, testing and speaking about Coatings, Sealants, Air Barriers, Moisture Management and general Building Science for over 25 years. His passion is helping the industry provide safer, healthier, longer lasting buildings that reduce energy and medical consumption. “The risks that buildings face can be addressed with science, it is a matter of education.” |
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NICOLE SCHUSTER
Ashley McGraw Architects
Nicole Schuster is an architect and Associate Principal at Ashley McGraw Architects with a strong interest in building science and passive strategies for high performance buildings. She has over ten years of experience with multiple building types and strives for maximum positive impact with each project.
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Nicole is a licensed architect, the past president of her local chapter of the American Institute of Architects, a LEED Accredited Professional, and the first architect in Central New York to become a Certified Passive House Consultant. She received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Syracuse University. |
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ZACK SEMKE
NK Architects
As Chief Marketing Officer of Nicholson Kovalchick (NK) Architects, Zack develops and implements NK’s marketing and business development strategies to drive growth and support the firm’s mission. He oversees marketing, business development, PR, evangelism, and policy advocacy related to Passive House building design.
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Zack earned his BA from Stanford University in 1993, majoring in Human Biology with a concentration in Human Ecology. He began his professional career as the first staffer of the Coalition for a Livable Future, a Portland-based coalition of environmental, affordable housing, transportation reform, and smart growth advocacy organizations.
He then co-led the performing arts group, Portland Taiko (taiko is Japanese for “drum”), developing the organization, marketing national tours, and performing with the troupe. In 2007 he earned his graduate certificate in design from the Landscape Institute at Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum. After a short stint as a designer he returned to his marketing and sustainability roots, joining Passive House builder Hammer & Hand as Chief Evangelist. Zack joined NK in 2016.
A member of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Leadership Corps, Zack is a regular keynote speaker at sustainability gatherings and high performance building conferences, emphasizing the role of high performance building in climate action. Zack serves on the Board of Directors of Passive House Northwest and co-chairs the Steering Committee of Shift Zero, the zero net carbon building alliance. |
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DR. HIDEKI SHIBAIKE
Associate Professor, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture and Design, Dr. (Eng.)
He got B. Eng. by Mar. 1979, M. Eng. by Mar. 1981 from Kyoto Institute of Technology. He completed the graduate school of science and technology, Kobe University by Mar. 1986 and started his academic career as a research associate of Kyoto Institute of Technology by Apr. 1986. In 1994 he got his doctoral degree from Kobe University and the title of the dissertation is “Boundary element analyses of simultaneous heat and moisture transfer in building wall assemblies”.
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In 1995, he promoted as an associate professor of Kyoto Institute of Technology and was awarded Canadian Government Laboratories Visiting Fellowship. He worked for one year as a visiting fellow of Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council Canada (IRC/NRCC) to develop numerical simulation procedure in order to predict simultaneous hear and moisture transfer linked with mechanical changes in building wall assemblies.
In 1998 and 1999, he was a member of the technical committee for performance evaluations on residential buildings (durability performance section) which was organized by The Better Living Foundation to validate and support technical phase for the amendment of the building standards low which can allow performance based evaluations. His expertise is Building and Urban Physics with the special focus on modeling and monitoring the heat and moisture transfer occurred in building components through whole building to urban spaces to provide building elements and constructions with better performance for sustainable development.
In 2005, the environmental standard of AIJ on hygric material properties were established for which he worked as the general manager of the academic project committee.
In recent years, he has been actively expositing the cutting edge information on practical and technical issues related to hygric performances of EIFS and other innovative components for building envelopes in academic and technical societies in Japan. This wide ranged information covering scientific, technical and practical issues has been investigated through his analytical and numerical studies, field monitoring data on real projects adopting exterior insulation practices, and inspection tours on exterior insulation and other high performance building envelope components which he organized for U.S. and Canada in 2006, 2008 and 2014, for Shanghai, and for Tianjin and Beijing in 2007.
He is a member of American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) and a SHASE Fellow of Society of Heating, Air-conditioning and Sanitary Engineers of Japan (SHASEJ). He is a board member of External Insulation Promotion Council (Specified NPO) and working as an academic and technical advisory.
Recently he has established an bilateral research collaboration agreement between Fraunhofer IBP of Germany and Kyoto Institute of Technology. For the coming five years, they will closely collaborate to improve and propagate practical applications of WUFI Pro, Plus and 2D in the building practices in Japan and hot and humid climate zones. |
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BAHAREH SHIRKHANLOO
SCB
Bahareh studied Bachelor of Architecture at University of Tehran, Iran. Her passion on changing the architectural world led her to study Master of Building Science in ASU. She did her Master research on making justice projects more efficient (Greening Jails) and did a lot of energy modeling with IES VE. She tried to find which variables are more important in energy modeling process and how we can make a good energy modeling with spending less time, energy and money.
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She was a presenter for her research in 2017 ASHRAE Building Performance conference in Atlanta, NC State poster presentation, Energy Summit poster presentation, 3-minuets thesis competition and so on. She is working on her paper to publish it in ASHRAE’s journal as well. She was part of the 2017 Race to Zero competition with ASU, for designing a net zero single family housing which they got the second place in the category. She worked with Little Diversified Architectural Consulting and now is the SCB’s first sustainable design specialist fellow. |
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CRAIG SIMMONS
Senior Energy Consultant VEIC
Craig Simmons, P.E., BEMP, is a Professional Engineer with more than ten years’ experience in commercial building energy analysis, utility programs, and building codes compliance. In his role at VEIC, Craig identifies, advocates for and advises on energy efficiency improvements in new construction and existing industrial, commercial and multi-family buildings.
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As part of his role at VEIC Craig is a project engineer for Commons Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of VEIC that provides ESCO services for smaller, public purpose buildings and owners (low income multifamily, non-profits, schools, healthcare, and municipal).
Craig previously worked as a consultant in Boston, MA providing guidance to owners and designers in pursuit of LEED certification, utility incentive programs, federal tax credits, and energy code compliance. His project experience spans from high-rise office towers and high-intensity laboratories to modest housing projects and low-rise commercial buildings. |
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KEITH SIMON
Building Exterior Solutions
Keith A. Simon is a Registered Architect, Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC), and Legacy LEED AP with over 10 years of experience in architectural design and building enclosure consultation. Mr. Simon is a Senior Architect at Building Exterior Solutions, a division of Terracon, and adjunct faculty at the University of Texas School of Architecture (UTSoA) in Austin.
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His consulting experience includes failure investigation, testing, repair design, design phase peer review, and hygrothermal modeling. Mr. Simon was the founder of the Austin Building Enclosure Council (BEC: Austin) and currently serves as a board member for both BEC: Austin as well as the Austin Passive House Alliance US (PHAUS). Mr. Simon is also a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Society of Building Science Educators (SBSE), the Texas Society of Architects (TSA) Codes and Standards Committee, and in 2016 was elected to be the south region representative to the PHAUS national board for 2017.
Mr. Simon was awarded the 2012 Emerging Professional Honor Award by the Austin AIA and the 2017 Terracon Company-Wide award for Outstanding Contributor – Technical Professional. |
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MOLLY SIMPSON
LEED AP
Molly Simpson is a Manager for the Fannie Mae Multifamily Green Financing Business for Fannie Mae. In this capacity, she focuses on developing and implementing financing products that increase the sustainability of the country’s multifamily housing stock.
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Prior to joining Fannie Mae, Simpson was the senior manager of District of Columbia’s Department of Energy & Environment’s Solar for All program where she led the strategic planning and implementation of an ambitious plan to serve 100,000 households with solar electricity and reduce energy burdens by 50% by 2032.
During her tenure at the Department of Energy & Environment, Simpson also served as the housing affordability and green program analyst in the Urban Sustainability Administration. In this interagency role, Simpson worked across agencies expanding capacity for green building programs and catalyzing sustainability policies in the residential sector, with an emphasis on housing affordability.
Previous to joining DOEE, Simpson was the manager of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing where she was responsible for developing and implementing educational and research programs related to housing policy and practice. Simpson has also worked in sustainability policy and practice at the U.S. Department of Housing and Community Development and as a consultant to federal clients including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Simpson holds a master’s degree in sustainable urban planning from the George Washington University and holds a bachelor’s in environmental studies with concentrations in political studies and economics from Bard College. |
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PAUL SIPPLE
New England Construction Co.
Paul Sipple is President of New England Construction Co. – NECCO, Inc. – with 38 years of experience in residential and commercial construction. Paul is a Certified Passive House Builder and Board Member of the VT Passive House organization. Paul’s experience includes new construction as well as energy retrofits of existing buildings.
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Paul is presently collaborating with Burlington Electric Department in developing what will hopefully be a net zero “pilot” program for the existing residential stock in Burlington, VT. Paul previously presented a home remodel to EVT’s high performance standard in Waterbury, VT. |
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TESSA SMITH
The Artisans Group
Tessa Smith is the co-Principal and Chief Architect of Artisans Group, a Design+Build firm located in Olympia, Washington. Twice recognized by PHIUS for Best Project by Young Professional as well as for the 2015 Best Overall Project and the 2017 Best Single-Family House, Tessa is a fierce advocate of sustainability through Passive House design theory and practice.
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A graduate of South Puget Sound Community College and The Evergreen State College, Tessa is an active agent of change for local business and home owners. She enjoys cooking, horror movies, bicycling, hiking, and keeping up with her 200+ lbs of rescue dogs. |
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GALEN STAENGL
Staengl Engineering
Galen Staengl, P.E., LEED® AP BD + C, CPHC, has 20 years of experience designing cutting-edge energy-efficient mechanical systems for green building projects and industrial facilities. Throughout his career, Galen has worked to bring energy-efficient and sustainable principles into his designs for award-winning schools, institutional buildings, multi-family residential projects, and office buildings.
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As President of Staengl Engineering, Galen has provided design and energy analysis for buildings certified as LEED Platinum and Gold, Passive House, Net Zero energy, Net Positive energy, and Living Building Challenge.
As a leader in low-energy building system design, Galen regularly presents and moderates at national and regional green building conferences. He is also involved in advancing the technical and regulatory aspects of green building design in the U.S.; he is currently a member of the national Technical Committee of Passive House Institute U.S. and is working with the Green Focus Group to assist the Virginia Housing Development Agency propose sustainable design guidelines for future developments. |
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MARC STAUFFER
The Artisans Group
Marc Stauffer got his BA in Architecture from Columbia University and has ten years of experience as a lead project designer on urban, mixed-use, buildings, market rate condominiums and Multi-family residential projects working for several firms from Boston, Washington DC, and Arlington, VA. He has also run his own architectural design build and fabrication firm. Marc has completed the PHIUS certified Passive House Consultant training and has modeled multiple Passive House certification targeted projects. |
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MIKE STEFFEN
Walsh Construction Co.
Mike Steffen is Director of Innovation at Walsh Construction Co., a mid-sized general contracting firm serving project partners in the multifamily housing, healthcare, higher education and commercial sectors across the Pacific Northwest. Mike is an architect, builder and educator who is passionate about making better buildings that contribute to a more sustainable and equitable world.
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He obtained degrees in architecture from the University of Kansas and the University of California, Berkeley and is licensed to practice architecture in the states of Oregon and California. Mike loves homegrown vegetables, craft pizza and west coast IPAs (especially when consumed together) and enjoys hiking, fishing and kayaking the mountains, rivers and coastlines of the American West. |
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ANDREW STEINGISER
SGA
AIA, LEED AP, PHIUS – Project Architect at SGA
Andrew is passionate about reducing the global environmental impact of the built environment by designing buildings that combine high design with high performance. Andrew is a detail oriented architect with broad experience in commercial and residential architecture, and a Certified Passive House Consultant through the Passive House Institute U.S., specializing in the design of large scale Passive House buildings. |
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CHARLEY STEVENSON
Integrated Eco Strategy
Charley Stevenson is a sustainability consultant who collaborates with owners and designers on high performance buildings throughout the northeast. With his team at Integrated Eco Strategy, Charley has contributed leadership efforts to numerous Living Building Challenge projects: Kellogg House at Williams College (Petal Certified), RW Kern Center at Hampshire College (in occupancy), the Hitchcock Center for the Environment (in occupancy 2016), the Lloyd Center for the Environment (in design) and the Yale Divinity School.
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Charley’s work in design is rooted in his passion for teaching. Helping others understand, appreciate and implement LBC principles is central to his efforts. With patience and humor, he helps projects reach their potential.
Prior to work in regenerative design, he was a middle and high school math and science teacher.
Charley lives in western Massachusetts with his wife and his two daughters. |
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ANDREW STRAUS
Consinfra
Andrew Straus is General Partner and founder of Consinfra, a real estate investment firm specializing in real estate development, and redevelopment projects in Latin America. Andrew serves as Vice President of E Plus Buildings, a Passive House Consulting company. Andrew has extensive management and finance experience as Division Manager, Executive Vice President and CFO of the Juval Group, a highly diversified manufacturing and services multinational comprised of seven wholly owned enterprises and three joint venture companies in the aluminum, foundry, mining, steel, cement, construction and infrastructure industries in five countries.
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Andrew is a Passive House Certified Builder and has studied at the Private Equity Institute in New York, holds an Economics and Philosophy degree from Brandeis University, and is alumnus of Harvard Business School. Andrew also completed a post graduate certificate in Real Estate Finance from Middlesex University in the UK and participated in the Generative Leadership Program™(GLP) of the Institute for Generative Leadership.
Andrew is active in the community and is on the Board of the Harvard Club of Delaware and the Board of the Harvard Club of Philadelphia. |
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CHRISTOPH STUMP
Trinity Financial
Christoph Stump is a Vice President at Trinity Financial with over 15 years of experience in development, planning, design, and construction. At Trinity’s New York City office, Christoph oversees the design and construction of its projects in the city. With a focus on energy efficiency, he recently completed a 152-unit mixed-use new construction project in the Bronx that received both LEED Silver as well as the Brownfield Cleanup Program Certification.
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He also expects the completion of the second and last phase of a 283-unit historic gut-rehabilitation project in Harlem. He currently covers all technical aspects of the developments of a 180-unit mixed-use building in Brooklyn, and a 277-unit mixed-use passive house high-rise in the Bronx. Christoph holds a master-equivalent degree in architecture and planning from the Technical University of Berlin in Germany and is a LEED accredited professional and registered architect. |
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JESSE THOMPSON
AIA Maine
Jesse is an award-winning architect who as become a national leader in green design and building science. Growing up in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, Jesse started his career working construction in high school. Since then, he’s been through every stage of design and building. Jesse is relentlessly practical, but sees possibility for greatness in every project. He loves a good challenge.
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Jesse is a graduate of the University of Oregon, current President Elect of AIA Maine, and a former board member of the Portland Society for Architecture. He’s a founding member of Passivhaus Maine, and was the first architect in northern New England to become a Certified Passive House Consultant. |
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JULIE TORRES-MOSKOVITZ
Julie Torres Moskovitz, AIA, LEED AP, CPHC, CPHT is founder of Fete Nature Architecture, PLLC (FNA) based in Brooklyn. She is the architect for the first certified Passive House building in NYC (2012). She is author of The Greenest Home: Superinsulated and Passive House Design published by Princeton Architectural Press. Her practice is focused on passive house and resilient new construction and retrofit projects. Currently, she is finishing several residential projects as part of the NYC Build-It-Back program. She is a citizen architect, meaning that she is an activist working on issues of social and environmental justice alongside her profession as a top priority.
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Julie was appointed by the Mayor to the NYC Loft Law Board in May 2018 and is working on rulemaking and voting on cases regarding landlords and tenants working to legalize their buildings for residential use (from manufacturing). She was a Fellow at the Institute for Public Architecture (IPA) in 2016 and is on the Advisory Board of Street Vendor Project and IPA. She teaches design studio and environmental technology at Syracuse University, Parsons, and Pratt. She also leads Hyper-Efficiency Workshops for professional architects at the Center for Architecture in NYC and presented a workshop on NYC Hyper-Efficiency with Belgian Architects A2M, Dan Nall, FAIA, and Laurie Kerr, FAIA at the National AIA Conference ’18. Julie has an MArch from University of Pennsylvania ‘00 and a BA in African Studies and French from the University of Michigan ’93. |
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DAVID TRELEVEN
Ultra-Aire
David Treleven holds a B.A. in biology and a M.S. in building construction with a concentration in sustainable construction. At Ultra-Aire, Treleven utilizes his past experience, ranging from building science consultant/researcher to construction laborer, to create high performance dehumidifcation and ventilation solutions for the mixed-humid and hot-humid markets. In addition, Treleven conducts in-field monitoring and measurements of systems to understand how Ultra-Aire’s equipment interacts with other building systems. |
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ELIZABETH TURNER
Precipitate Architecture
Elizabeth Turner is an architect and Certified Passive House Consultant and served as CHPC for the Hook & Ladder project. Her work is focused on energy efficient and ultimately carbon neutral design for affordable, multifamily housing and higher education. She founded Precipitate to explore emerging methods of holistic and integrated design at the intersection of architecture, research, and education.
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To this end, she teaches a Sustainable Communities course for the Sustainable Studies minor at the University of Minnesota, coaching one of her students groups this spring to research Public Policy for Sustainable, Affordable Housing. Elizabeth presents regularly at national and regional conferences, including AASHE and NACUBO. |
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KOHTA UENO
Building Science Corporation
Kohta Ueno is a senior associate at Building Science Corporation, a building science consulting and architecture firm located in Westford, Massachusetts. His responsibilities at Building Science Corporation include forensic field investigations, energy and hygrothermal modeling, building science research, and field testing. His undergraduate education was in Materials Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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He has been with BSC since 1998, and completed his Masters degree with the Building Engineering Group under John Straube at the University of Waterloo in 2007.
He is also conveniently sized to fit into attics and crawl spaces, which is markedly useful in this field. |
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ERIC URBAN
Staengl Engineering
Eric Urban has 12 years of experience as a researcher and analyst assisting mechanical, electrical and architectural design teams to create energy-efficient buildings. Eric performs whole-building energy simulations (primarily using IES-VE and eQuest simulation software) to predict energy consumption for net zero energy and LEED projects and to demonstrate compliance with energy codes.
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He has built and analyzed numerous models of institutional, educational, commercial and residential buildings in various climate zones across the U.S. and Canada. He facilitated a public-private partnership design-build LEED project involving 11 schools. |
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JUSTIN WEISSER
PHIUS+ Certification Manager
Justin is an innate problem-solver and sees green architecture as a way to solve many problems at once, from resource conservation to better buildings. As a registered architect, Justin enjoys the full arc of a project from concept through post-occupancy. With a background in biology, it is no surprise that Justin’s approach to sustainability begins with the fundamentals of building science and forensics, which he further explores through his complementary work as a Building Enclosure Commissioning Provider. Justin holds a Masters in Architecture from the University of Virginia and a BS in Biology from Bates College. |
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LISA WHITE
PHIUS+ Certification Manager
Lisa White serves as the Certification Manager for the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) and has been with PHIUS since 2012. She is also an instructor for Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC®) and WUFI Passive software training. White holds a degree in Environmental Sustainability with a minor in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Master’s in Energy Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
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White works on certification program development and is a member of PHIUS’ technical committee. She also provides consulting services on static and dynamic energy modeling in WUFI Passive, THERM modeling, and project planning specific to passive building principles. White has presented at numerous conferences and events, including Greenbuild, PHIUS Annual North American Passive House Conferences, the Affordable Comfort Institute national conference, and Facades+. |
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DAN WHITMORE
Being one of the first Certified Passive House Consultants in the United States, Dan Whitmore, CPHC, enjoys delving into the minutiae of energy conservation and then translating that information into built reality. From this focus, he has participated in the design and construction of numerous groundbreaking projects across the US.
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In his efforts to evolve building practices, Dan combines a passion for energy, sustainability, and the natural environment with over 30 years of construction experience. He joins knowledge of Passive House, building science, materials selection, and energy resources with his extensive background in hands-on craft, site management, and project troubleshooting.
A long-time denizen of Seattle, Washington, in 2018 Dan joined RDH Building Science as one of their in-house Passive House consultants. Additionally, Dan is an instructor and curriculum developer for the Passive House Institute US’s (PHIUS) Builders Training Program. He also serves on the boards of Passive House Northwest and PHIUS and is a constant advocate for municipal and state advances in building practice. When not engaging his Passive Obsessive side, Dan enjoys chasing clear night skies, reading speculative fiction, and imagining how the world could be. |
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JOHN WOELFLING
Dattner Architects
John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP, CPHT is a Principal at Dattner Architects. John’s work is driven by the belief that architecture should be sensitive to the environment. His involvement in woodworking, carpentry, and construction have instilled in him a passion for the hands-on aspect of the architectural process, as well as a sense for practicality and an understanding of materiality.
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John leverages his experiences working across project typologies, from education and recreation to healthcare and infrastructure, to inform his leadership on many of the firm’s mixed-use residential projects. He is committed to creating environmentally responsible and resource-efficient designs, using an integrated and holistic approach that reduces negative impacts on the environment and positively effects the health and comfort of building occupants.
Whether directing a design team, spearheading AIA 2030 Commitment efforts, leading the firm’s Sustainable Practice Group, or incorporating Passive House design into the firm’s projects, his focus on sustainable design practices is guided by proactive education of evolving green technologies and incorporating them into his design work.
John has lectured on the subjects of affordable housing and sustainability, speaking at the Center for Architecture, AIA NYS, Urban Green and GreenBuild, Forum for Urban Design, Reimagine Conference, and the PHIUS Passive House Conference. |
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GRAHAM S. WRIGHT, Ph.D
PHIUS Senior Scientist & Chair of the PHIUS Technical Committee
Graham S. Wright is Senior Scientist at Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) and Chair of the PHIUS Technical Committee. He leads PHIUS’ research and development efforts, and worked to develop the PHIUS+ 2015 Passive Building Standard — the only passive building standard on the market based upon climate-specific comfort and performance criteria tailored to North American climate zones. Wright helped to launch and continues to provide input for the PHIUS+ Passive Building Standard and Certification program.
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In addition to his role as PHIUS Senior Scientist, Wright also established and leads the PHIUS Verified Window Performance Data Program, which evaluates fenestration components for use in passive building applications for specific climate zones. Additionally, he also serves as the Chair of the PHIUS Technical Committee, a consensus based panel of passive building experts who review technical standards and practices and publish the findings.
Wright earned a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with thesis work related to ink-jet printing, after which he worked ten years for Eastman Kodak on the development of toner-based printing technology. In 2007 he joined AmeriCorps VISTA and relocated to Minnesota to help the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance develop a durable and efficient solar air heat panel. In 2008 he served as a permaculturalist for the Hunt Utilities Group, which is where he first discovered and became involved with the passive building movement. Wright joined PHIUS first in 2011 as an instructor, in 2012 as a pre-certification caseworker, and in 2013 as Senior Scientist. |
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JIANLIN WU
China Academy of Building Research, Inc.
Mr. Wu is the deputy director of High Performance Building Research Center at China Academy of Building Research Inc., whose primary interest of business focus on nearly-zero energy building, passive building, green building, building energy efficiency, building operation and management, operation strategy optimization, energy audit and retrofit, etc.
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Mr. Wu has served as a senior researcher and technical adviser for more than 10 years in building industries and is key member of China Passive Building Alliance. Mr. Wu has led several R&D projects for MoST, MoHURD, with a specialization in technical advisory and assessment. He is currently CABR Project Lead for the US-China Energy Research Center (CERC) Building Energy Efficiency (BEE) project to design and implement nearly zero energy pilot building and develop related standard and codes for design, commissioning, acceptance, certification and operation and management.
Mr. Wu served as Project Manager for multiple high-performance building consulting project in the past 12 years, involving holistic process of building design, building energy and environment modeling, building performance monitoring and evaluation, and life-cycle assessment of building materials and equipment. |
