Marketing Passivhaus – Details, episodes & analysis

Hello and welcome to the trailer for Marketing Passivhaus, a new podcast focused on growing the conversation around the Passivhaus building standard and drawing ever more people into its quiet, comfortable, low-carbon fold.

Graham Irwin, AIA, NCARB, is the Principal at Essential Habitat Architecture—architecture for the future of California. Working at the forefront of high-performance architecture in California since 2008, Essential Habitat designs modern, sustainable homes for people who want exceptional performance without sacrificing style. In this episode, we discuss the lack of a visual typology for Passivhaus buildings, the profound tranquility of being inside a Passivhaus home, and the importance of feeling happy and comfortable in your space.

Connect with Graham and Essential Habitat Architecture:

• Website => https://www.essentialhabitat.com/

• Instagram => https://www.instagram.com/eharchitecture/

• LinkedIn (Graham) => https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-irwin/

Zack Semke is the Director at the Passive House Accelerator and host of the Reimagine Buildings Collective, collectively described as a big community and a media company dedicated to building decarbonization with passive house at the center of that effort. Zack is also the co-host of the amazing (and inspiring) Passive House Podcast. In this episode, we discuss the power of community, why leading with benefits is so much better than leading with technical details, and what's wrong with the name "Passivhaus."

Connect with Zack and the Passive House Accelerator:

• Website (Passive House Accelerator) => https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/

• Website (Reimagine Buildings) => https://reimaginebuildings.com

• Podcast (Passive House Podcast) => https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/podcast

• LinkedIn (Company) => https://www.linkedin.com/company/passivehouseaccelerator/

• LinkedIn (Zack) => https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharysemke/

Tanya Savas, CPHT, is the Sales Manager at Collective Carpentry, a construction company specializing in Passive House and Net Zero design principles, low embodied carbon materials, and off-site prefabrication, serving the Western US and Western Canada. In this episode, we discuss the benefits of coming to market with a solution that's pre-designed to meet passive house standards.

Connect with Tanya and Collective Carpentry:

• Website => https://collectivecarpentry.com

• Instagram => https://www.instagram.com/collective_carpentry/

• LinkedIn (Company) => https://www.linkedin.com/company/collective-carpentry/

• LinkedIn (Tanya) => https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanya-savas-cpht-952a6668/

Laurence Hamel Dorais is Director of Business Development and Marketing at NZP Fenestration, a family business based in Québec, Canada, manufacturing Passivhaus Certified windows. In this episode, we consider how building toward the Passivhaus standard is a way of creating a legacy with benefits that extend to future generations.

Connect with Laurence and NZP Fenestration:

• Website (English) => https://nzpfenestration.com/en/

• YouTube => https://www.youtube.com/@nzpfenestration3119

• Instagram => https://www.instagram.com/nzpfenestration/ 

• LinkedIn (Company) => https://www.linkedin.com/company/nzp-fenestration/

• LinkedIn (Laurence) => https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurence-hamel-dorais-38251a163/

  
  

Two people, 1.5 months, 50 square meters, passivhaus + carbon neutral...all built with nothing more than tools that can fit in your car. Martín Comas of Arquitectura Regenerativa believes it's possible. His mission is to "pollinate sovereignty and empower communities" through scalable, affordable, accessible, high-performance buildings.

Connect with Martín and Arquitectura Regenerativa:

• YouTube => https://www.youtube.com/@ArquitecturaRegenerativa

• Website => https://arre.bio/

• Instagram => https://www.instagram.com/arre.bio/

• LinkedIn (Martín) =>https://www.linkedin.com/in/martincomas/ 

Bronwyn Barry is an architect and principal at Passive House BB, as well as co-founder and recently retired Board Chair of the Passive House Network. It was from Bronwyn that I first came across the catchy phrase Boxy But Beautiful (#BBB) to describe the form factor that is key to optimal Passivhaus performance. She's also the first person I saw pointing out that Passivhaus' airtightness standards mean these buildings are also smoke-tight, which is increasingly important in these times of heightened air pollution from wildfires. In terms of marketing Passivhaus, it doesn't get much better than that! Listen to this episode for yet another catchy, alliterative turn of phrase! (You'll have to wait until almost the very end :-)

Connect with Bronwyn and Passive House BB:

• Passive House BB => https://www.passivehousebb.com/

• LinkedIn => https://www.linkedin.com/in/bronwynbarry

• Bluesky => https://bsky.app/profile/passivehousebb.bsky.social

Lloyd Alter is an author, reformed architect, adjunct professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, and the writer of the excellent Substack, Carbon Upfront! Having followed his work for the better part of a decade, primarily through his prolific stint as a writer and editor at Treehugger, I have heard Lloyd talk about the virtues of Passivhaus (and the frustrating nature of its name) more than anyone else. In fact, it was Lloyd's article, "Passivhaus or Passive House? Efficiency, low carbon, or Comfort and Security?" that convinced me — mere days before I was about to start building in earnest — to call this podcast Marketing Passivhaus, not Marketing Passive House.

Connect with Lloyd and Carbon Upfront!:

• Substack => https://lloydalter.substack.com/

• LinkedIn => https://www.linkedin.com/in/lloyd-alter-827ba7/

• Lloyd's favourite Treehugger article of his => https://www.treehugger.com/how-do-you-sell-idea-passive-house-4856509

Brian Pearson is an architect and the co-founder of Studio Pear. Brian created a flyer, which he shared on LinkedIn, titled "Air-Tightness in Buildings: Benefits You can Enjoy Every Day." In that graphic, he lists seven benefits you can enjoy EVERY DAY from the investment in an airtight building: Comfort, Energy Efficiency, Ventilation Efficiency, Pollutant Control, Vapor Control, Acoustic Control, and Building Durability.

Connect with Brian and Studio Pear:

• Brian on LinkedIn => https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-s-pearson-977012b6/

• Brian's Passivhaus graphic => https://www.linkedin.com/posts/brian-s-pearson-977012b6_passivehouse-airtight-smoketight-activity-7348837342742274049--HJe

• Studio Pear website => https://studiopear.us/

Mariana Pickering is the Chief Brand Officer and Community Director at B.PUBLIC Prefab. After graduating with a Master's in Design Science from the University of Sydney, she co-founded EMU Architetti in Italy with Enrico Bonilauri, doing sustainably focused architectural design for ~8 years. In 2017, they moved the company to the US, renaming to EMU Passive and pivoting to become one of the first accredited education providers with PHI, in order to address what they saw as one of the biggest gaps in passive house: training architects and builders. Then, having sold her partnership in EMU Passive, Mariana made her way to B.PUBLIC Prefab, where she continues the mission of marketing through education and community-building.

Connect with Mariana and B.PUBLIC Prefab:

• Mariana on LinkedIn => https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianapickering/

• Mariana on Bluesky => https://bsky.app/profile/passivemariana.bsky.social

• B.PUBLIC Prefab website => https://www.bpublicprefab.com/

• B.PUBLIC Prefab on Instagram => https://www.instagram.com/b.publicprefab/