“Passive House: Conservation-focused Design,” Thursday, Oct. 15, 3 p.m., Massachusetts Room, Mullins Center. Amy Finlayson, project manager with the state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, discusses the principles of Passive House and how they can be applied to public projects in the Commonwealth. Passive House is a voluntary performance-based design standard focused on significant energy efficiency, ecological impact, cost savings and thermal comfort using quantifiable data. Finlayson is a registered architect with Passive House certification and has more than 18 years of experience in multiple sectors of architecture. Her primary interests are energy conservation and design. After 12 years practicing high-end residential architecture, she has shifted her career path to capital projects for the Commonwealth to have a greater impact on the way we approach design and energy conservation. She would like to see the Passive House approach implemented on all Commonwealth capital projects. She is currently the project manager for the proposed Child Care Center at Greenfield Community College, which is on track for Passive House certification. There is no building typology; the Passive House standard can be applied across the building industry successfully. Because of the unique and focused criteria for Passive House, it can complement or coincide with additional green building standards such as LEED. The primary characteristics of Passive House design are energy efficiency, occupant health and comfort, predictable performance for long-term planning and maintenance, and resiliency. Each of those categories is imperative for public projects and will be discussed in the presentation. Seating is limited, RSVP to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/passive-house-conservation-focused-design-tickets-18519913560
And of course more on Sustainability Month here:
https://www.umass.edu/sustainability/sustainability-month-2015