Mainstreaming Air Tightness and Thermal Comfort in Wood Construction

By Cheryl Smith, AIA, LEED AP

Wood construction: new 40 room hotel on a local college campus. Photo credit: Cope Linder Architects LLC.

Last week, I attended a Greater Philadelphia Passive House Association (GPPHA) presentation by a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC), who is also a wood fabricator and high performance builder of wood construction. He spoke about how wood framing, heavy timber framing, and cross laminated timber are suitable for almost every building type; how cost-effective wood can be; and how wood’s less embodied energy has a lighter carbon footprint than many other building materials.

Modular Passive House

By Pamela Sams, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

Second story unit as it arrived on site with the roof folded and without the eave overhangs. Photo credit: David Peabody.

On a warm August morning just near the north east city limits of Washington DC in the Fairmont Heights neighborhood in Maryland, two prefabricated units sat in a parking lot ready to be transported down the street and lifted onto the carefully constructed foundation on a site in the residential community. The units had arrived on trucks from the factory in Delaware where they had been prefabricated. One unit was the first floor which was lifted into place in 90 minutes and the other was the second floor unit which had to have the roof “unfolded” and the eave overhangs attached.

Improving Existing Housing - A Big Impact

By Drake Wauters, AIA

The typical US home today is filled with high tech/high performing gadgets: huge flat screens, high speed internet, smart phones for almost every occupant, and dozens of computers and games, half of which are even forgotten about.  The level of tech would be amazing if we weren’t so used to it.  Chances are those gadgets, many are already bored with in preparation for the holiday shopping season, are the only high performing aspects in most homes.  What follows are some thoughts on how important the performance of homes really are.