Passive House Tours at Greenbuild

The 2013 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo will feature tours of Passive House projects in Philadelphia on Monday, November 18 and Friday, November 22.

Monday Afternoon Half-Day Tours: 2:00-6:00 pm

TM06: Reimagining the Rowhome: New Housing Design in a Historic City

Row homes comprise the majority of the building stock in Philadelphia, and innovative designers and builders are rethinking how they look and operate. This tour visits several sites, including the first LEED-certified homes in the City of Philadelphia, Passive House International certified homes, and modular built projects that passed their air leakage testing on their first attempt, developed by the groundbreaking design-build firms, Onion Flats and The Envision Group! This tour showcases innovative HVAC solutions, from high tech(ERV integrated heat-pumps ) to low tech (minimalist versions of a ducted system). Judge for yourself how these international award-winning developments reference their context while offering eye-popping beauty to the sustainable living menu in Philadelphia. What will you take away from detailed tours of these pioneering homes that reinvent, reimagine and invigorate our neighborhoods & communities? We can guess what you might take away from the sustainable brewery that makes Revolutionary Ales from historic recipes at the tour’s end!

TM08: Making it Modular: Innovations in Building Design & Construction

Philadelphia is a historic city, but its building community is full of leading edge thinkers, designers, and construction specialists. Modular design and construction is catching on across the city—tour three residential sites that are ahead of the curve. The first stop at Stable Flats showcases a Passive House project featuring a super-insulated thermal envelope, solar PV arrays, extensive & intensive green roofs, energy monitoring System, heat pump water heater, energy recovery ventilation. The second stop is Weccacoe Flats with staggered stud construction, split-ductless HVAC systems, ERV’s and LED lighting, dual-flush toilets, permeable parking area, bamboo flooring, and 100% reclaimed brick. The final stop will be The Modules at Temple Town, a LEED for Mid-rise Homes Pilot Gold project, with an energy efficient water source heat pump system, fresh air ventilation system, porous paving, and centralized recycling. Participants will see modular construction from the inside out on these three similar yet unique projects.

Friday Half-Day Tours: 2:00-6:00 pm

TF06: Rebirth of a Neighborhood: Going Green in Northern Liberties and Kensington
Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods, each with its own distinct culture, traditions, and community pride. Visit the Northern Liberties and Kensington neighborhoods, which feature an award-winning LEED-Platinum Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, innovative LEED Platinum and Passive House residences, thriving community groups and even a sustainable Brewery that makes Revolutionary Ales from historic recipes. While this neighborhood is just a 30 minute walk from Center City, or 10 minutes by train or bike, it’s an entirely different experience of what Philadelphia has to offer, and it’s a great story of neighborhood revitalization spurred on by smart development, sustainable practices, and community building.

 

 

In addition to these Passive House projects, there are tours of sustainable works including architecture, civil engineering, and landscape projects. See all the half-day Greenbuild tours here.

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