In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Mary James and Jay Fox sit down with Tonje Wold-Switzer, Executive Director of the Santa Cruz County Long Term Recovery Group. Tonje shares her personal journey of losing her home, navigating the recovery process, and advocating for fire-resilient, sustainable rebuilding solutions—including Passive Hous…

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, we welcome Barry Cope, Group Managing Director of the Building Compliance Testers Association (BCTA). Barry shares insights into airtightness testing, certification, and how the UK became a leader in 100% blower door testing for new buildings. He discusses the role of ATTMA, the evolution of the industr…

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Matthew Cutler-Welsh sits down with Kirstie Wulf of Shelter Building Design. Based in Australia’s Blue Mountains, Kirstie shares how she built her own hempcrete home, the benefits of this natural material, and how it stands up to fire, floods, and extreme weather. If you’re curious about sustainable bui…

In this fourth episode of The Reimagine Edit (TRE) series of the Passive House Podcast, host Zack Semke shares selected clips of insights from Andrew Michler (fire hardening), Tim Lock (designing beyond Passive House), Ed May (modeling), and Michelle Jacobson and Maria Lomanto (healthy interiors). The Reimagine Edit is a special series of the Passi…

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, we sit down with Chef Chris Galarza—founder of Forward Dining Solutions, co-founder of EcoChef, and author of Understanding the Green Industrial Revolution—to explore the powerful intersection of food, sustainability, and energy efficiency. Chris shares his journey from skeptic to advocate for kitchen e…

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Mary James and Ilka Cassidy sit down with Michael Marsh, Principal of Sidekick Architecture in Los Angeles. Michael shares his journey into architecture and Passive House design, discusses the challenges of promoting energy efficiency in California’s mild climate, and explores the intersection of fire-r…

In this third episode of The Reimagine Edit (TRE) series of the Passive House Podcast, host Zack Semke shares selected clips of insights from Skylar Swinford (modeling); Ed May, Lois Arena, and Marine Sanchez (Passive House consulting); and Mary James and Steve Quarles (fire resilience). The Reimagine Edit is a special series of the Passive House P…

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, we chat with Nick Sowden of Sowden Building Solutions about the electrification of homes in Sydney, the shift away from gas, and deep energy retrofits. Nick shares insights on insulation upgrades, solar adoption, and how heritage homes can be transformed into high-performance, energy-efficient spaces. P…

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast Ilka Cassidy and Mary James sit down for part 2 of their deconstruction roundtable with Megan Stringer of Holmes, Eric Law of Urban Machine, and Katrina Lund & Imani Hamilton of Ramboll. In Part 2 of our series, we dive deeper into the role of structural engineering in deconstruction and material reuse. …

In this second episode of The Reimagine Edit (TRE) series of the Passive House Podcast, host Zack Semke shares selected clips of insights from Dan Whitmore of Blackbird Builders and Sara Bayer of Magnusson Architecture and Planning. The Reimagine Edit is a special series of the Passive House Podcast that shares curated insights from our Experts-In-…

In this first episode of The Reimagine Edit (TRE) series of the Passive House Podcast, host Zack Semke shares selected clips of insights from Ed May of bldgtyp and Lois Arena of Steven Winter Associates. The Reimagine Edit is a special series of the Passive House Podcast that shares curated insights from our Experts-In-Residence at the Reimagine Bu…

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast Ilka Cassidy and Mary James sit down for a deconstruction roundtable with Megan Stringer of Holmes, Eric Law of Urban Machine, and Katrina Lund & Imani Hamilton of Ramboll. In Part one of this series we dive into the transformative potential of deconstruction and circular economy practices in the buildin…

In this episode, of the Passive House Podcast Matthew Cutler Welsh chats with Trent Clark of Red Cedar Constructions about the evolution of his Sydney-based construction business and its focus on sustainable building practices. Trent shares his journey into Passive House design, the challenges and successes of pioneering projects like the Thornleig…

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast host Mary James talks with Chris Swinburn, director of Beyond Carbon, about the complexities of applying Passive House principles to large-scale and commercial buildings. Discover how Beyond Carbon became a leader in sustainable design, tackling projects like the largest Passive House development in the …

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Jay Fox speaks with Raphael Vibert, Passive House Certifier and Senior Designer at Herz Lang, about the Museum of Bavarian History in Regensburg, Germany. Discover how this stunning riverside museum became the largest Passive House-certified museum in the world, the unique challenges of balancing artifa…

This week on the Passive House Podcast Mary James sat down with Sean Conta, founder of Targa Homes. Sean shares his journey from green building certification to starting his own company in 2018, focusing on creating sustainable, high-performance homes in the Pacific Northwest. Discover how Sean educates clients about Passive House principles, his e…

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, we sit down with Ramune Bartuskaite, architect and CEO of Spec Matters. Originally from Lithuania and now based in Philadelphia, Ramune shares her inspiring journey through architecture, from her academic experiences at Miami University, Penn, and international studies in Copenhagen and London, to found…

In this special component spotlight episode of the Passive House Podcast Ilka Cassidy chats with Source 2050 Co-founders Michael Ingui and John Knapp and Passive House expert Shannon Pendleton. They discuss how Source 2050 simplifies sourcing innovative, sustainable products, bridging design and construction to accelerate better building practices.…

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Jay Fox and Mary James talk with Crystal Ng, Director of Sustainability at Curtis + Ginsberg. Crystal discusses her first-hand experiences with Passive House projects, the future of geothermal and domestic hot water systems, and the innovative strategies her team is employing to achieve net-zero goals. …

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Zack Semke talks with Chris Magwood of RMI. Chris shares his journey from running a design-build company and school in Ontario to becoming a leading voice in embodied carbon and sustainable building practices. The conversation delves into the evolution of green building, the importance of upfront carbon…

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, co-host Ilka Cassidy sits down with Chelsey Effinger from GO Logic, Angie Horner and Abby Xerri of Quantum Passivhaus, and Jonah Stanford from B.Public Prefab to explore the Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) process. Together, they discuss the critical intersection of architectural design, en…

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast Matthew Cutler-Welsh talks with Stephan Mausli, co-owner of Hector Egger New Zealand. Stephan reflects on adapting to the New Zealand housing industry and redefining construction practices. Sharing the stark contrasts between European and New Zealand building standards, the challenges of prefabrication i…

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast Mary James talks with David Komet about the journey of turning an underutilized urban site into a state-of-the-art pickleball facility designed with sustainability, community value, and innovative engineering at its core. David shares how a chance proposal led to a pivot from residential development to c…

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, we sit down with James Clarke, General Manager of NZSIP, to explore his journey from high-end construction in London to leading sustainable building innovations in New Zealand. James shares his passion for creating healthier, more resilient homes after a personal encounter with New Zealand's housing cha…

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Mary James and Ilka Cassidy talk with Joanna Lockhart of Tetra Tech Europe. As the Associate Director of Architecture, Joanna leads a specialized team focused on net zero, whole-life carbon, and circular building approaches. She shares her experience in designing sustainable, low-carbon buildings for th…