Passive House Podcast

279: Beyond Aesthetics: Kia Weatherspoon on Design Equity

In this episode of The Passive House Podcast, Mary James chats with Kia Weatherspoon, founder of Determined by Design. Weatherspoon describes how experiences visiting her brother in prison and creating privacy during Air Force deployments shaped her belief that spaces must be felt, not just seen. She explains her mission-driven focus on affordable housing and a design process rooted in ancestry, legacy, and identity, translating community narratives into specific material and layout decisions. The discussion emphasizes bringing interiors into the integrated design team early, pushing for healthier materials amid cost and pricing-transparency challenges, and streamlining specifications to maintain budgets. The hosts reflect on how interior environments affect wellbeing and project outcomes.https://www.determinedbydesign.com/portfolio/station-u-o/https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/leading-with-humanity-passive-interior-design

278: Exploring Insulation and Overheating Risks with Tavis Creswell-Wells

In this episode of The Passive House Podcast, host Matthew Cutler interviews New Zealand building scientist and sustainability specialist Tavis Creswell-Wells of Ecolution about overheating risk, building performance, and lessons from working in the UK. Tavis describes his path from architecture to building science, early research with BRANZ on the Building Energy End Use Study, and later experience in London with large energy modeling and rating systems including BREEAM, WELL, and Part L. He argues New Zealand’s H1 code overemphasizes insulation and lacks requirements to address overheating, while Part L includes lighting, hot water, mechanical systems, and checks at design and completion. The conversation covers glazing, shading, natural ventilation limitations, PHPP overheating constraints, and using TM59 for zoned overheating analysis, and previews the Reimagine Buildings Multifamily online conference.https://ecolutionsbs.com/ecolutionThank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

277: Transforming Multifamily Housing: Lessons from Cycle Architecture + Planning

In this episode of The Passive House Podcast, Jay Fox speaks with Tony Daniels and Caitlin Matusewicz of Cycle Architecture + Planning about their backgrounds in high-performance design and the firm’s focus on scalable multifamily deep energy retrofits, resilience, and Passive House. The conversation covers why retrofits are harder than new construction and how Cycle aims to scale by starting with repeatable retrofit solutions. They discuss panelized overcladding and modular mechanical strategies, NYSERDA’s role via incentives and innovation programs, and broader barriers such as contracting and insurance models that enforce siloing.https://www.c-ap.net/Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

276: Edie Dillman and Karen Ramsey on Fort Collins' Designed to 2030

In this episode of The Passive House Podcast Jay Fox interviews Edie Dillman (co-founder and CEO of B.Public Prefab) and Karen Ramsey (founder and sustainability strategist at Building Wellness) about Fort Collins, Colorado’s Design to 2030 pilot program. They describe B.Public’s panelized, Passive House–standard prefab shell system launched in 2019 and Ramsey’s consulting work supporting Passive House projects, including rebuild efforts after the Marshall Fire and work tied to the Los Angeles fire rebuild. The conversation centers on Fort Collins’ plan to provide affordable, permit-ready, high-performance home plan sets tailored to local climate and code, with community outreach to determine needed housing types and builder training on panelization and key Passive House techniques.Sears Homes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears_Modern_Homeshttps://www.bpublicprefab.com/https://www.buildingwellnessllc.com/Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

275: Sustainable Practices in New York City with Shefali Sanghvi and Heather McKinstry

In this episode of The Passive House Podcast, co-host Jay Fox interviews Heather McKinstry and Shefali Sanghvi of Dattner Architects about their work focusing on Passive House projects, primarily affordable housing in New York City. The discussion delves into Dattner Architects' commitment to civic work, including multifamily housing, transportation, and healthcare projects. They emphasize the benefits of Passive House standards in dense urban environments, particularly in improving indoor air quality and reducing energy consumption. The conversation also touches on overcoming misconceptions about costs, the importance of third-party certification, and the educational needs of both clients and residents. The episode concludes with recommendations for developers interested in pursuing affordable Passive House projects, including tapping into state and local resources and ensuring expertise within the project team.https://www.dattner.com/Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.