The program committee has developed an insightful and engaging program for you to enjoy! Please find below the summit program, please note this program is subject to change.
ALL TIMES LISTED ARE PACIFIC TIME
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8:30 - 9:00am PST
Passive House in Canada. 10 Years Later.It’s been 10 years since the first certified Passive House building was constructed in Canada, the Lost Lake Passive House in Whistler, BC. What impact did this building have ? How much has the movement towards better buildings grown? Join us for this summit kick off session that explores the growth of Passive House in Canada.
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9:00 - 10:00am PST
Passive House And Resilience in the Face of a Warming ClimatePassive House and Resilience in the Face of a Warming Climate
Speakers:
Kaz Bremner, Perkins & Will
Chris Doel, Integral Group
Mike Wilson, University of VictoriaBuildings need to be desined to provide comfort in a changing climate. This session will describe the standards to assess, and strategies to achieve, comfort in a 2050 climate while achieving Passive House targets for a complex mixed-use student housing and dining project in Victoria BC Canada.
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10:00 - 10:30am PST
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10:30 - 11:30am PST
Canadian Cold Climate Prefab InnovationsCanadian Cold Climate Prefab Innovations
Panel Discussion with:
Abby Xerry, Quantum
Jeremy Clarke, Simple Life Homes
Rick Zytaruk, Tooketree PHModerator: Cameron Laidlaw, Peel PH
There is a growing recognition of the benefits of prefabricated walls systems and their applicability for Passive House projects. Yet options still remain few. Three innovative Canadian companies have pioneered cold climate Passive House wall systems suitable for the cold climate zone that makes up much of the inhabited portion of Canada. At this panel, Quantum Passive House, Tooketree Passive Homes, and Simple Life Homes will present on the design, development, and application of their construction systems, as well as the benefits of using prefabrication to meet Passive House performance goals. Each company will present on their journey to develop a prefab system for cold climates. A panel discussion/audience Q&A will follow the presentations.
Thank you to 475 for sponsoring this session.
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10:30 - 11:30am PST
BC POLICY
City of Vancouver Resilience Requirements and Passive House (30 min)
Comparing Passive House to BC Step Code on Large Scale MURB's (30 min)City of Vancouver Resilience Requirements and Passive House
Panel Discussion with:
Shane O’Halon, Stantec
Adam James, Ryder Arch
Andrea Frisque, StantecIn this interactive discussion, we will explore how resiliency requirements in the City of Vancouver (for rezoning) align with Passive House design. On the panel, we will have Shane O’Hanlon, who has extensive experience with resilience and climate adaptation, Adam James, part of the architectural team for the Gastown Child Care Centres designed by Acton Ostry Architects, and Andrea Frisque, the lead Passive House consultant for this project. In an introductory presentation we will discuss how the Childcare Centre buildings, which were designed before the current resiliency requirements, compare to the current requirements. We will discuss where we perceive synergies between PH and the resiliency requirements, and where there could be potential challenges. We will then open the discussion to the virtual audience.
Comparing Passive House to BC Step Code on Large Scale MURB’s
Panel Discussion with:
James Munro, Greater Victoria Housing
Andy Chong, Integral Group
Peter Johannknecht, Cascadia Arch
Greg Damant, Cascadia ArchSince 2018 municipalities across BC have been adopting BC’s Energy Step Code, gradually increasing energy efficiency until all new construction is net-zero ready. In these municipalities, meeting the demands of the code is required, unlike optional programs such as Passive House. This presentation is a case study of 2 MURB’s in various stages of design and construction, comparing Passive House and BC’s Step Code using models and estimates to form a comparison between design to Passive House vs Step Code construction. Design and construction costs, energy use and carbon emissions, and return on investment as a focus of this presentation.
Thank you to Recollective for sponsoring this session.
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11:30 - 12:00pm PST
Break -
12:00pm - 1:00pm PST
TECHNICAL DETAILING
Thermal Bridge Modeling for Large Retrofit Buildings (30 mins)
Impact of the foundation structure on the heating loads in residential projects (30 mins)Thermal Bridge Modeling for Large Retrofit Buildings
Speaker:
Melissa Furukawa, Peel Passive HousePassive House design tries to eliminate or mitigate linear and point thermal bridging. However, for retrofit buildings sometimes thermal bridges cannot be avoided and their impact must be assessed. This lecture will highlight the thermal bridge impacts and optimization process for 3 large retrofit buildings. The various design iterations and considerations will be discussed including thermal comfort, constructability, energy efficiency and cost.
Impact of the foundation structure on the heating loads in residential projects
Speaker:
German VaismanThe insulation under the footings are required in some cases to reach Passive House levels. But it provides challenges on the structural stability due to shear and proper install. Also, there are not many products on the market that can withstand the high loads required in multi-story buildings. We will review the design of the footings and slab for a 6 story multi-unit residential building, for a Net Zero Daycare and for a detached house retrofit, including alternative options and their impact on the heating load.
Thank you to EJOT for sponsoring this session.
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12:00pm - 1:00pm PST
Increasing Energy Efficiency of MURBs through the Time-Based Thermal Resilience MetricsIncreasing Energy Efficiency of MURBs through the Time-Based Thermal Resilience Metrics
Speakers:
Aylin Ozkan, University of Toronto
Ted Kesik, University of TorontoIn the face of climate change, and as building codes and standards evolve to promote increased building energy efficiency and reduced carbon footprints, it is also important to ensure that MURBs can withstand prolonged power outages during extreme weather events to provide habitable shelter passively. This presentation will focus on going beyond the typical energy modelling exercises, and demonstrate a new approach to guide early stages of building design to improve passive performance through the time-based thermal resilience metrics. It also will highlight the critical measures that need to be addressed effectively to achieve high levels of thermal autonomy and passive habitability.
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8:30 - 9:00am PST
Leading Climate Action at the Local Level: Transforming the Building Sector in VictoriaLeading Climate Action at the Local Level: Transforming the Building Sector in Victoria
Speaker:
Mayor Lisa Helps, City of VictoriaJoin Lisa Helps, the Mayor of the City of Victoria and Passive House Canada, CEO, Chris Ballard for a discussion on the leadership role local governments are playing in moving us towards a low carbon future and the climate action policy initiatives Victoria is implementing to decarbonize the building sector including:
-Accelerating the adoption of the BC Energy Step Code to the top step by 2025, instead of the Province of BC’s mandated timeline of 2032
-Introducing a low carbon pathway for step code compliance which includes a one step relaxation for buildings that install low carbon heating systems
-Launching a generous incentive program to help residents transition from oil tanks and gas furnaces to electric heat pumps
-Ensuring urban design form and character principles are aligned with high performance building construction
-Developing a deconstruction bylaw to promote reuse of building materials
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9:00am - 10:00am PST
Advancing the Market: Perspectives from Clayton Community CentreAdvancing the Market: Perspectives from Clayton Community Centre
Speakers:
Rebecca Holt, HCMA
Melissa Higgs, HCMA
Scott Groves, City of CoquitlamThe first large, public Passive House project in Canada, Clayton Community Centre in Surrey, BC represents a transformational moment in time as the built environment responds to the extremes of the climate crisis. Project client leader Scott Groves and design leader Melissa Higgs will share their perspectives on leading with Passive House, as they reveal insights and lessons to inspire and advance the market. Moderated by Rebecca Holt, Director of Sustainability at HCMA, the session will invite attendees to engage the panelists with questions.
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9:00am - 10:00am PST
From Design to Completion - Low Income Passive House MURBS in Ontario, and The Lessons Learned Throughout ConstructionFrom Design to Completion – Low Income Passive House MURBS in Ontario, and The Lessons Learned Throughout Construction
Speakers:
Josie Constantini, Schilthuis
Beth Schilthuis, Schilthuis
Philip Bradley, SchilthuisSchilthuis Construction has become at the forefront of building Passive House Multi Residential buildings in Ontario. With 2 MURBS completed, 4 more under construction, and at least 2-3 more in the design stages. Schilthuis construction and the design team are refining details that work on site, perform well in airtightness and efficiency, and are cost effective to these Passive House MURBS. Being among the first to build a low-income housing MURB Passive House in the Ontario climate, Schilthuis and the team have learned what works, what doesn’t and how to get there cost effectively.
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10:00 - 10:30am PST
Break -
10:30 - 11:30am PST
MULTI-FAMILY
Alexandra Park Redevelopment: Passive House in Public Discourse (30 mins)
EnerPHit Stepwise Retrofit: Exploring innovative HVAC solutions (30 mins)Alexandra Park Redevelopment: Passive House in Public Discourse
Speaker:
Arne Suraga, Diamond Schmitt Architecture
Michael Lam, Toronto Community HousingWorking with Toronto Community Housing, the Atkinson Co-op and Tridel Inc., as well as a dedicated consultant team, the redevelopment of two multi-residential sites in the Alexandra Park neighbourhood in Toronto as Passive House projects have entailed a broad-ranging discussion on how to present Passive House concepts to a highly engaged, but non-specialist audience. At the same time, ensuring that the project meets the requirements of the planning approvals process, Design Review Panel, as well as the updated Toronto Green Standard, has lead to a multifaceted and dynamic process even in the early design and approvals phases.
EnerPHit Stepwise Retrofit: Exploring innovative HVAC solutions
Speaker:
Andrew Peel, Peel Passive HouseUnderstand the constraints of an EnerPHit retrofit of an existing high-rise apartment building with live-in tenants Learn how to integrate a Passive House ventilation system into an existing multi-unit building not designed to accommodate such a system. Discover an innovative, efficient, and cost-effective HVAC solution for high-rise multi-unit apartment EnerPHit retrofits
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10:30 - 11:30am PST
PART 9 BUILDINGS
A Tale of Two Houses: Exploring the Impact of Form on Energy Performance (30 mins)
Holistic and Practical Approach to MEP (30 mins)A Tale of Two Houses: Exploring the Impact of Form on Energy Performance
Speaker:
Graeme Verhulst, Waymark ArchitectureEnergy performance is a direct outcome of the form of the building. Join Graeme Verhulst in a side-by-side comparison of two different houses, the Parkview house and the Gabion house, to explore the impact of form on energy performance. While both built to the Passive House standard, these houses take different approaches on form from a two-storey compact building to a single-storey fully accessible building. This session focuses on how the forms of these houses impact the energy models, the wall assemblies and the required construction details.
Holistic and Practical Approach to MEP
Speaker:
Russ Barry, Interactive ConstructionThis practical session will discuss the good, bad, and ugly sides of MEP in Passive House builds from the perspective of a builder. The focus will be taking a holistic approach to planning and install of HRVs, condensing/ HP dryers, recirculating hood fans, etc. This session will help homeowners understand the practical considerations when making MEP decisions, builders and contractors will benefit from hearing about what to watch for and some create solutions to common concerns, and consultants and manufacturers will gain some insight into on the ground realities.
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11:30 - 12:00pm PST
Break -
12:00 - 1:00pm PST
Field Notes: Successful Site Delivery for Passive House ProjectsField Notes: Successful Site Delivery for Passive House Projects
Speakers:
Marcel Studer, Econ Group Ltd
Kevin Brennan, Brennan Brennan Insulation & Airtightness
Jesse Mathews, RDHThis session will breakdown and evaluate the strategies Marcel Studer (Vancouver), Kevin Brennan (NYC), and Jesse Matthews (Toronto) use to support the successful site delivery of Passive House projects in their respective markets. They will define the role of the “Air Boss” or Passive House Field Trainer, and share how this role is implemented in a variety of project teams. The presenters will discuss lessons learned, and share their latest strategies for successful Passive House quality control and quality assurance implementation (including whole building airtightness planning and testing). The session will highlight how the CPHT training has had a positive effect on project teams, especially when accompanied by project-specific site training for subcontractors and site personnel that will be executing the work.
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12:00 - 1:00pm PST
EXTREMELY COLD CLIMATES
Resisting the Extremes: Delivering Resilient and Durable Passive House Buildings in Harsh Climate Zones of Canada (30 mins)
Passive House in Cold Climates (30 mins)Resisting the Extremes: Delivering Resilient and Durable Passive House Buildings in Harsh Climate Zones of Canada
Speaker:
Enrico Bonilauri, emuDesigning Passive House buildings becomes challenging when professionals face the extremely cold conditions North America. Achieving resilience and durability in a cost-effective manner requires deeper understanding of building physics, as standardized design conditions often end up being not representative for the climates they are meant for. Performance in extreme conditions is here first investigated for individual components, then on their consequences at the whole building scale with the support of Passive House projects from cold climate zones. The goal is to better inform Passive House professionals about expected behavior of building component in different locations of Canada.
Passive House in Cold Climates
Speaker:
Stephen Quinn, Peel PHThis presentation will discuss the challenges that can arise when building Passive Houses (PH) in a cold climate and more importantly solutions to these challenges. Of course, as with many things in life, the more challenging something is to achieve, the larger the reward. This can most certainly be said for constructing a PH in a cold climate, especially given the high potential for savings in heating costs and increased comfort levels. To best take the audience through potential cold climate challenges we will highlight three successfully completed projects, all with their own unique challenges in both design and construction.
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1:05 - 1:20pm PST
Celebration of Rob Bernhardt's Contribution to Passive House CanadaCelebration of Rob Bernhardt’s Contribution to Passive House Canada
Speakers:
Scott Kennedy, Chris Ballard & Special Guests
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8:30 - 9:00am PST
“Above All, Cause No Harm”: A Building’s Pledge“Above All, Cause No Harm”: A Building’s Pledge
Speaker:
Dr. Stephanie Taylor, Taylor Healthcare Consulting, Inc.We are currently living with tremendous uncertainty brought about by a mutated virus of the familiar Coronavirus family. Many unanswered questions about COVID-19 disease transmission, mortality rates and our own immune response have resulted in fear, confusion and a sense of helplessness in many of us. Thankfully, we have a solid foundation of scientific data from studies in microbiology, medicine and the indoor environment that can guide our management of buildings so that they are true shelters.
Dr. Taylor will present studies on building interventions that optimize the health of human occupants and decrease the threat of microbial pathogens such as COVID-19. Communication between medical and building professionals, such as in this webinar, along with your input will help us fight back and regain our footing. Attend this session to learn about the power of the indoor environment to keep us safe and healthy during COVID-19 and beyond.
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9:00am - 10:00am PST
PH on the Frontlines—Wildfire Smoke & IAQPH on the Frontlines—Wildfire Smoke & IAQ
Speaker:
Graham Irwin, Essential Habitat ArchitecturePanelists (tbc)The airtightness and filtered fresh air ventilation of Passive House design delivers superior indoor air quality to residents. These benefits are well-documented and are a key reason that many choose to live or work in Passive House buildings. But what happens when wildfire smoke creates unprecedented levels of pollution during these intense events? Join Passive House residents and Passive House design experts for a virtual discussion, “Passive House on the Frontlines: Wildfire Smoke & Indoor Air Quality”, where homeowners and occupants will share the tweaks and additions that they are making to their ventilation systems to create havens of clean air during these climate fire events.
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9:00am - 10:00am PST
UNIQUE PH BUILDINGS
Passivhaus - it’s about time. Marrying Passivhaus performance with an architecture that responds to its sensitive historic context (30mins)
Solar Heat Gain Mitigation in High Performance Glazed Facades (30mins)Passivhaus – it’s about time. Marrying Passivhaus performance with an architecture that responds to its sensitive historic context.
Speakers:
James Woodall, AlliesMorrison
Matthew Traub, AlliesMorrisonThis project is all about time: working to a 100-year design life and within a heavily protected historical environment, Cranmer Road student housing pushes the Passivhaus agenda to balance a sensitive contextual approach with a progressive environmental strategy. The project creates buildings that sit comfortably within a deeply historic city, that are designed to be ‘of the moment’ and yet expected to last for hundreds of years to come. To deliver these aspirations the scheme adopted and challenged the Passivhaus approach, and in doing so it exposed a wider client group (Ox-bridge Colleges) to the opportunities associated with Passivhaus.
Solar Heat Gain Mitigation in High Performance Glazed Facades
Speakers:
J-F Robert, Blackcomb Glass Ltd, RAICO
Olivier Corbeil, Saint-Gobain Glass InternationalIn this presentation two unique Passive House projects will be discussed. Participants will learn about sunshade applications & detailing, natural venting through automation of operable vents and specific glass and lowE make ups applied in the Clayton Community Centre. Learn about the Vancouver Fire Hall 17’s distinctive building form, how window to wall ratios were approached and the project’s environmental considerations. Participants will also gain insight on the glass selection process in Passive House applications.
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10:00 - 10:30am PST
Break -
10:30 - 11:30am PST
Healthy Housing: Choosing high performance in the era of COVID-19Healthy Housing: Choosing high performance in the era of COVID-19
Speakers:
Graeme Stewart, ERA Architects / Tower Renewal Partnership
Cara Sloat, Reinbold Mechanical Engineers
Chris Van Dongan, Entuitive Building Science
Marianne Touchie, University of Toronto
Josh Vanwych, JMV Passive House
Ya’el Santopinto, ERA Architects / Tower Renewal PartnershipIn the midst of COVID-19, the question of healthy housing has taken on a new urgency. Housing has always been is a matter of public health, but in our current view of the future, home is now also a place to live, learn and work, shelter in place, and wait out extreme climate events. In this session, healthy housing will be explored from a number of angles, looking at the challenge of bringing a 21st century standard of housing to aging apartments. Passive House approaches will be explored, alongside other metrics and standards. The EnerPHit Ken Soble tower transformation of a 1967 tower in Hamilton was designed to meet a number of healthy housing targets, and will be used as a case study. The project includes a HVAC retrofit for modernized ventilation, airtight envelope construction, and a range of measures to meet healthy housing goals, ranging from material selections to new outdoor amenity spaces.
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10:30 - 11:30am PST
Soo Valley and the future of Mass Timber& Passive HouseSoo Valley and the future of Mass Timber & Passive House
Speakers:
Alysia Baldwin, Perkins & Will
Kirk Robinson, Delta Land Development
Kyle Moen, BC Passive House
Harrison Glotman, Glotman Simpson Consulting EngineersLocated on a remote site in British Columbia, the Soo Valley prototype home is intended to demonstrate how to build future alpine settlements in BC that will adapt to the extreme weather pattern ahead. As an off-grid project in an extreme climate, the building pursued Passive House certification, ensuring both that it not only consumes very little energy in operation, as is appropriate in off-grid habitation but provides exceptional comfort in use. A prefabricated approach to construction is utilized to minimize sitework disruptions to local existing ecological systems. It is also designed to make its own heat, electricity, and clean water, while treating waste.
Thank you to Perkins+Will for sponsoring this session.
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11:30 - 12:00pm PST
Break -
12:00 - 1:00pm PST
New Zealand’s Building for Climate Change ProgrammeNew Zealand’s Building for Climate Change Programme
Speaker:
Elrond Burrell, Principal Advisor, Architecture & Design, Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, New ZealandDiscussants: Chris Ballard & Rob Bernhardt, Passive House Canada
The New Zealand government’s Building for Climate Change program will reduce emissions from buildings during their construction and operation, while also preparing buildings to withstand changes in the climate. The building and construction sector is a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions from producing materials, constructing buildings and the energy used in buildings. If New Zealand is to reach its climate change goals, including net zero carbon by 2050, the building and construction sector must play a major part in this. The planned changes will also make buildings warmer, drier and better ventilated, and provide healthier places to work and live.
Professional development
- AIBC*: Up to 13.5 Core LUs
- BC Housing*: Up to 13.5 CPD
- PHI*: 20 Credit Points ((V247_2020_CA))
*REAL TIME ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED FOR LEARNING CREDITS FROM AIBC, BC Housing & PHI.
Pre-Show Events
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Workshop: HRV Installs 101
Thurs Dec 3 2:00 - 3:00pm Pacific
Workshop: HRV Installs 101
Thurs Dec 3 2:00 - 3:00pm Pacific
Presented by:
Mark Bernhardt, Bernhardt Contracting Ltd.
The Bernhardt team has been installing high performance HRV Systems for some time now. If there is one thing we have learned it’s that the manuals don’t really cover it. The Team will demonstrate key parts of a high performance HRV system install.
Documentary Screening: The Green Point Project; Re-Wilding the Ecosystem
Fri Dec 4 2:00 - 3:00pm Pacific
Documentary Screening: The Green Point Project; Re-Wilding the Ecosystem
Fri Dec 4 2:00 - 3:00pm Pacific
Presented by:
Arcas Media and Kenneth Chooi with Special Guests
This poetic documentary screening and panel discussion will look at how a family became involved with building a sustainable Passive House home on a unique, historical ecosystem and along the way found a truth to why they needed to be on the land. Amidst the climate crisis and the world pandemic, their sustainable journey is joined and supported by others who share their experiences on the design and construction of the residence. This project is striving to be the first building in the world to achieve Passive House, Living Building Challenge and Green Shores certification.
Workshop: Airtight Detailing for Passive House Projects
Mon Dec 7 2:00 - 3:00pm Pacific
Workshop: Airtight Detailing for Passive House Projects
Mon Dec 7 2:00 - 3:00pm Pacific
Presented by:
Sean McStay, SIGA
In this workshop format hands on demonstration we will go over the key requirements to creating an airtight envelope for a Passive House Project. 1) Pre-planning and why airtightness matters 2) Material Selection 3) Detailing 4) Testing