Is America Ready for Passivhaus?
I have lived and practiced green design in Germany, and I witnessed the changes in the WSVO (Waermeshutzverordnung) firsthand. These were mandated changes to the levels of insulation required to be placed in the walls, roofs and floors of new buildings. At the time (1997), I felt that the Germans were only getting half of [...]
Financing
My goal has always been to design and build comfortable, high-performance homes that can be completely paid for within 10 years – even by individuals and families living on modest incomes. First of all, the easiest way to make a building cost less is to make it smaller, which has obvious environmental benefits as well. [...]
