Please join us on April 10th as Tim Eian gives an introduction to the Passive House building energy standard and its application for new construction and retrofits in cold climates.  This will be followed by a short documentary and then a Q&A.  The event will be held at TE Studio, 212 2nd St. SE, Suite 222 Minneapolis, MN 55414 and will qualify for AIA credits.  A charge of $10 to cover expenses is asked and can be paid at the door or online by registering on our national calender.

We will be holding lectures throughout 2013 so please be sure to check back regularly or sign up for our newsletter.

The 2012 International Passive House Days are happening this weekend, November 9 – 11th. Locally, the Passive House in the Woods project in Hudson, WI, will be open to the public on Sunday, November 11th from 10.45 AM. You will have the opportunity to learn about the performance of this Passive House in its first 2 years of operation, and meet the owner to get first-hand feedback. Click to learn more about this event and find the official Passive House Days announcement below.

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A strong contingent of Minnesota professionals traveled to Denver, CO for an exciting weekend of lectures and learning Sept. 27-29.  The conference started with an inspirational look at our passive house history by Building Science Corporation’s Joseph Lstiburek.  In closing Dr. Lstiburek addressed the attendee’s as “family”, further solidifying the new partnership between the Building Science Corporation and the Passive House Institute United States.

The exiting news didn’t stop there as Katrin Klingenburg announced another partnership with the United States Department of Energy.  Starting today, getting certified as a Passive House (through PHIUS+) simultaneously gets the DOE Challenge Home label and the Energy Star label.  This endorsement of PHIUS+ passive house certification by the DOE instantly makes passive house the most energy efficient option for builders, designers and developers who want to achieve a zero energy building.  Read more about it here.

Finally, the weekend finished with a speech by Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute.  He spoke of changing our future, working towards a fossil fuel free country by 2050.  You too can be inspired to “make energy do our work, instead of working our undoing”  by watching his TED talk here.

It was a great weekend and we hope to continue the momentum built in Denver locally.  Please be sure to join us October 10th as Nancy Schultz presents her Eco Home, a certified Passive House.  Register by visiting the national calendar.

The Passive House Alliance Minneapolis-St. Paul (PHAMSP) is conducting a fall lecture series on the Passive House building energy standard and its implementation.  Lectures will range from the overall fundamentals of Passive House (PH) design to in-depth analysis of PH techniques, details, and verification. This series offers an opportunity to speak with PH practitioners and PH owners to gain first-hand insight into the world’s leading building energy standard and its potential in the US

Wednesday, September 12, 5pm – Tim Eian, Passive House Retrofits – Minnephit House

MinnPhit House   TE Studio

A case study and designer perspective on residential Passive House retrofitting.

Wednesday, October 10, 5pm – Nancy Schultz, Isabella Eco-Home – An Experiment Station

Compass Rose, Inc.  Isabella Experiment Station

A case study and homeowner perspective on owning a cutting-edge building, which also serves as a lab.

Wednesday, November 14, 5pm – Gary Nelson, Air Tightness and its Importance for High-Performance Buildings

Energy Conservatory

Location – TE Studio/ Integrated Planning Office: 212 2^nd St. SE #222, Minneapolis, MN 55414

• Parking is available in the surface parking lot off of 2^nd St. SE for $1.75 flat fee, or in the St. Anthony Main ramp for $2.50
• Metro Transit bus lines to Central Ave & 2^nd St. SE:  10, 17, 25, 59, 260, 261, 270, 825
• Bike racks available

Enter the historic St. Anthony Main Building on the left of the two entrances off of 2^nd St. SE, take the stairs one flight down. Suite 222 is located just to the right of the stairs.

Time(s)

5pm – 5:15pm – Sign In

5:15pm – 5:45pm – Intro to PHAMSP and PH Principles

5:45pm – 6:30pm - Lecture

6:30pm – 7:30pm – Q&A/Networking

Light snacks and beverages will be provided, $10 suggested donation at the door or pay online.

Please RSVP at here, scroll down to the event title and click REGISTER.

See you there!

Passive House and Holistic Design

Lecture at the University of Minnesota

Tim Delhey Eian of the Minneapolis based design firm TE Studio will be lecturing on holistic design and the Passive House building energy standard on May 1, 2012 at 2.30 in room 31 in the basement of the old wing of the architecture building.

Passive House Retrofit

2012 Living Green Expo Workshop

Want to learn about Passive House retrofitting? Tim Delhey Eian of the Minneapolis based design firm TE Studio will be showcasing the first Passive House retrofit project in the TwinCites (and one of the first in the country)—the MinnePHit House in a presentation on Saturday, May 5, at 2 PM in Bay A at the 4-H Building at the MN State Fair.

MinnePHit House during construction

www.livinggreenexpo.mn

The Passive House Alliance US recently launched a new website.

Join us at Common Roots Cafe on September 29, 2011 from 5:30-7:30pm to mingle with passionate members of the local Passive House community. We will briefly discuss what the local group has been up to this year and what challenges lie ahead.

This will be a cash event, food and drink not provided.
Once there please proceed to the Common Room.

Please RSVP using this link.

Yesterday, Passive House Alliance MN supported the first Passive House Designer exam in Minneapolis. 6 candidates took the exam to become certified.

Michael Huber interviewed Jay Wiederholt, the current president of the Passive House Alliance Minnesota about the Passive House building energy standard. You can find the complete podcast here.

PHIUS will lecture at Better Buildings, Better Business conference in  Wisconsin Dells, March 2-4/2011. Click here for details.