Imagine a home that is warm during the cold, snowy season and cool in the hot, humid summer. Both seasons are rapidly changing, it seems, as climate change brings stronger winds, deeper snows and some new and challenging problems to the Hudson Valley and to the the entire country.
At two sessions in May, Hudson-based architect Dennis Wedlick and two of his peers will discuss how the passive house concept can be applied with equal success in urban centers, where projects are likely to be renovations, and in rural settings where new construction is more common.
Wedlick will discuss the implementation of passive house principles in a newly built certified passive house (the Hudson Passive Project) and a passive retrofit of a brownstone in the historic district of Park Slope, Brooklyn, designed by architect Jeremy Shannon, who will be on hand to answer questions about his project.
How passive is passive? It is a housing standard embodying today’s highest benchmark for energy efficiency and conservation and using cutting-edge approach to design and construction. The passive house standard drastically reduces the amount of energy required to operate a building ”“ f or example, it results in a 90 percent reduction in energy required for heating. Originally developed in Germany, the passive house energy standard is being implemented with ever-greater frequency in the United States.
Architects Brian Marsh and Jeremy Shannon will join Wedlick at a presentation at the Gilman Center Library at SUNY Orange on Middletown on Wednesday, May 4, from 6-8 p.m. A second session will be held at the Chapel of Our Lady Restoration in Cold Spring onTuesday, May 17, 6-8 p.m. (Parking reservations for this event are required.)
Tickets to the Hudson Valley Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council”™s events are $10 for advance sales for chapter members and students; $15 at the door; and $20 for non-members. Those interesed in the topic (or those with furthwer questions) should RSVP: HVBranchCoordinator@gmail.com.
