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News from Passive Buildings Canada · Passive Buildings Canada's 2014 Annual General Meeting will...
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News from Passive Buildings Canada Supporting the Passive House Standard and High Performance Buildings In This Issue Ontario Company Makes a Leap to Passive House Pre‐Fab! Basking in the Sun with Solares Architecture Canadian Green Builder Invited to Poland for POLEKO Share Your Projects With PBC! Upcoming Training Courses Visit the PBC Website to find out more about Passive Buildings Canada Interested in learning from others in the industry? Then why not sign up for a PBC Membership ? We offer student memberships for only $25 Membership includes : * Access to our discussion list and member content * Discounts on training, events, and publications from select partners CONNECT WITH PBC! Registration is Now Open for PBC's AGM! Correction Notice: The deadline to submit nominations for board of director positions has been revised to midnight on Friday, December 5th, to provide members sufficient time to submit their proxy votes. Passive Buildings Canada's 2014 Annual General Meeting will be held on December 9th. This year we will be hosting the meeting online for all members and the interested public. The event is free to join, but space is limited, so please register now to secure your spot. Register Here Are you a PBC member looking to get involved with the organization? Here is your chance! PBC is now accepting nominations for our upcoming election at this year's AGM. A total of 6 positions will be voted on, with 2 vacancies and 4 members up for re‐election. Please see this document for additional information and nomination submission requirements. Additional details will be announced in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.You can catch all the latest news related to efficient buildings and Passive House by following us on Twitter ! Ontario Company Makes a Leap to Passive House Pre‐Fab! In our last newsletter, we covered a company based in Maine that is manufacturing panelized Passive Houses for the Northeastern U.S. market. I was delighted to later learn that Rob Blakeney , founder of PBC member company Local Impact Design , recently established Leap House , a design/build firm utilizing prefabricated wall and roof panels to deliver Passive house quality building shells at market cost. After getting in touch with Rob, I asked him to write a guest article for PBC to share with us the thought process behind his choice to combine design/build with pre‐fab and how this approach can help eliminate barriers to large‐scale uptake of ultra‐ low energy buildings. The slogan for Leap House (Image source: leap.house ) Basking in the Sun with Solares Architecture PBC member company Solares Architecture Inc. , is rapidly building its reputation as one of the GTA's foremost sustainable architecture firms. Christine Lolley and Tom Knezic are the wife‐and‐husband team behind Solares whom recently had their own home featured in a Globe and Mail article . A complete energy efficiency gut‐reno was undertaken, with progress meticulously recorded in their blog . Their blog should come with the warning "Contents Highly Addictive", as it contained so much interesting information that it was very difficult to stop reading (and start my own writing)!
Transcript of News from Passive Buildings Canada · Passive Buildings Canada's 2014 Annual General Meeting will...
News from Passive Buildings Canada Supporting the Passive House Standard and High Performance Buildings
In This IssueOntario Company Makesa Leap to Passive House
Pre‐Fab!
Basking in the Sun withSolares Architecture
Canadian Green BuilderInvited to Poland for
POLEKO
Share Your ProjectsWith PBC!
Upcoming TrainingCourses
Visit the PBC Website to find out more about Passive Buildings Canada
Interested in learningfrom others in the
industry?Then why not sign up for a
PBC Membership?
We offer studentmemberships for only $25
Membership includes:* Access to our discussion list and member content * Discounts on training,events, and publications
from select partners
CONNECT WITH PBC!
Registration is Now Open for PBC's AGM! Correction Notice:The deadline to submit nominations for board of director positions has been revised to midnight onFriday, December 5th, to provide members sufficient time to submit their proxy votes. Passive Buildings Canada's 2014 Annual General Meeting will be held on December 9th. This year we willbe hosting the meeting online for all members and the interested public. The event is free to join, but space is limited, so please register now to secure your spot.
Register Here Are you a PBC member looking to get involved with the organization? Here is your chance! PBC is now accepting nominations for ourupcoming election at this year's AGM. A total of 6 positions will be voted on, with 2 vacancies and 4 members up for re‐election.Please see this document for additional information and nomination submission requirements. Additional details will be announced in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.You can catch all the latest news related to efficientbuildings and Passive House by following us on Twitter!
Ontario Company Makes a Leap to Passive House Pre‐Fab!
In our last newsletter, we covered a company based in Maine that is manufacturing panelized Passive Houses for theNortheastern U.S. market. I was delighted to later learn that Rob Blakeney, founder of PBC member company Local ImpactDesign, recently established Leap House, a design/build firm utilizing prefabricated wall and roof panels to deliver Passivehouse quality building shells at market cost.
After getting in touch with Rob, I asked him to write a guest article for PBC to share with us the thought process behind hischoice to combine design/build with pre‐fab and how this approach can help eliminate barriers to large‐scale uptake of ultra‐low energy buildings.
The slogan for Leap House (Image source: leap.house)
Basking in the Sun with Solares Architecture
PBC member company Solares Architecture Inc., is rapidly building its reputation as one of the GTA's foremost sustainablearchitecture firms. Christine Lolley and Tom Knezic are the wife‐and‐husband team behind Solares whom recently had theirown home featured in a Globe and Mail article. A complete energy efficiency gut‐reno was undertaken, with progressmeticulously recorded in their blog. Their blog should come with the warning "Contents Highly Addictive", as it contained somuch interesting information that it was very difficult to stop reading (and start my own writing)!
The outside of Christine and Tom's home after a lot of work! (Image credit: Carla Weinberg, SolaresArchitecture)
The great thing about Christine and Tom is how candid they are about their experience. They admit that a few mistakes weremade but leverage them as teachable moments. This was especially true when it came time to execute their air sealing detailsaround a very leaky roof parapet. In their push to help others to avoid repeating these mistakes, Tom gave a presentationabout the nitty‐gritty aspects of their project at a recent event hosted by Blue Green Group (click to watch in Youtube). Ibelieve that this type of openness and honesty is essential in pushing the whole building industry forward towardsenvironmental sustainability!
House at Roses Crossroad is another Solares project that is garnering attention. This home attained an EnerGuide 88 rating.Although not targeting certification, Passive House‐like specs abound in this project. Triple‐glazed windows from AccurateDorwin, 13‐inch thick double stud cellulose filled walls, attention to passive solar design and an UltimateAir ERV all contributeto the home's excellent energy performance.
The House at Roses Crossroad achieved an EnerGuide 88 rating (Image source: Solares Architecture)
Canadian Green Builder Invited to Poland for POLEKO Trade Fair
A Canadian delegation, including Ben Polley of Evolve Builders Group, was invited to Warsaw, Poland by the EU and Polishgovernments. The invitation was geared towards fostering development of trans‐Atlantic partnerships for distribution of novelEuropean made Passive House and green building products to North America. Ben also had the opportunity to attend POLEKO,one of Eastern Europe's largest environmental trade fairs to get acquainted with the latest products and processes.
Ben also met with the Polish half of a joint Polish‐Norwegian partnership. The company, Norpolhaus, pre‐fabricates PassiveHouse panels at a purpose‐built factory in Poland for distribution in the Norwegian market. Local Norwegian forces completethe foundation assembly and any finishes that were not pre‐fabricated, while Polish crews erect the panels. According toAndrzej Krol of Norpolhaus, the entire pre‐fabrication and construction process takes approximately 90‐days to completion.Ben notes that this is significantly less than the anticipated construction time for similarly scaled and appointed site‐builthomes in Canada. Although considering themselves to be a small company, if Ben's interpretation of Andrzej's Polish to Englishtranslation is correct, Norpolhaus constructs 5‐6 of these homes per month!
Evolve Builders Group is a full‐service general contractor and home builder located in southern Ontario that specializes increating natural, healthy and energy‐efficient homes.
Head over to Ontario Construction Report to read more about Ben's trip.
A Strawbale Passive Solar Home Project by Evolve Builders Group (Image source: Evolve Builders Group)
A Polish pre‐fabricated Passive House for the Norwegian market by Norpolhaus (Image source: Norpolhaus)
PBC Teams up with Transition Guelph to Co‐host Builder's Group Meeting
If you are located in the Guelph area, consider attending the Transition Guelph Builder's Group meeting, co‐hosted by PBC. Join us at Borealis Grille & Bar for a discussion covering the latest energy efficient building projects in the region. Appetizers will be providedcourtesy of PBC.
A private meeting room has been booked and space is limited, so register now to reserve your spot!
Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Time: 6:00 pm
Location: Borealis Grille & Bar, 1388 Gordon Street, Guelph
Upcoming Training Courses
Canadian Passive House Institute (CanPHI) Training Programs:CanPHI 6‐Day Certified Passive House Designer Course
Locations & Dates:
Ottawa, Ontario
Dates: Starting January 16, 2015
Toronto, Ontario
Dates: Starting January 30, 2015____________________________________________________________ Certified Passive House Designer Exam (link) The online prep‐course for the Certified Passive House Designer is now available. The exam will be available Canada‐wide through CanPHI and can be written at a university or college near you.
Date: December 5, 2014____________________________________________________________ 1‐Day Introduction to Passive House Design (link) Date: January 10, 2015 Location: Ottawa, Ontario_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Canadian Passive House Institute West (CanPHI West) and Affiliate Training Programs:
CanPHI West Affiliated Courses
6‐Day Passive House Design & Construction Course (link)
Location: UBC Point Grey, Vancouver, British Columbia
Dates: Starting January 29, 2015_____________________________________________________________
Passive House Design: An Introduction (link)
Location: UBC Point Grey, Vancouver, British Columbia
Dates: December 12, 2014_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Passive House Alliance & Passive House Institute U.S. Training Programs:
PHIUS Certified Builders Training (link)
Locations & Dates:
Chicago, Illinois
Dates: January 6 ‐ 9, 2015
Waitsfield, Vermont
Dates: March 10 ‐ 13, 2015
_______________________________________________________ PHIUS+ Rater Training (link)
The next scheduled PHIUS+ Rater Training will take place at the 2015 RESNET Building Performance Conference.
Lobaction: San Diego, California
Dates: February 14‐15, 2015
Share Your Projects With PBC's Readership!
Are you working on designing or constructing a Passive House, Net Zero, or any other type of energy efficient building? Then let PBC hearabout it and we will feature it in one of our newsletters. If you care to share your great ideas with us, we will provide you with some freepublicity! We are always looking to feature great projects, especially if they are located in Canada, since we are Passive BuildingsCanada, eh? Please e‐mail a link to your website or blog or send us a summary of your project along with some pictures to:[email protected].
If you enjoyed this newsletter, follow us on twitter or sign up for a PBC Membership today!
Sincerely,
Patrick Andres, P.Eng. CPHC® MASc. Candidate, Building Science Passive Buildings Canada Now for something completely related! I nearly laughed water out of my nose when I saw this video of a "bad potlight". It wasn't somuch the sight of the jet‐like air leakage coming from the pot light but rather Greg Labbe's quote of all quotes (view the video tofind out). It did look pretty smokey in there...
A "bad potlight", a major source of air leakage (Image source: Youtube screen capture of Blue GreenGroup's video)
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