Passive House Podcast

Matthew Cutler-Welsh, Zack Semke, Mary James, and Ilka Cassidy
  • 4.8 (32)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

Interviews with the leaders, practitioners, and change-makers in the global Passive House movement. A production of Passive House Accelerator.

  1. 2d ago

    304: Prefabricated HVAC for Multifamily Retrofits with Tom King

    In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Mary James and Jay Fox talk with Tom King, founder and CEO of TKF, about his all-in-one factory-built HVAC and hot water system, the Hydropod. Tom traces the company's origins, highlighting  NYSERDA-funded pilot projects at Syracuse University and a low-to-moderate income housing community in Phoenix, New York. The conversation covers the practical realities of retrofitting very different building types and how TKF has redesigned the Hydropod for its commercial launch based on lessons learned from two years of real-world installation and monitoring. www.tkfabricate.com https://www.energiesprong.org/ https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/comprehensive-pod-solutions-on-the-way Join us on the Reimagine Buildings Collective: https://collective.reimaginebuildings.com/ Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

    304: Prefabricated HVAC for Multifamily Retrofits with Tom King

  2. Sep 2

    303: Scaling Affordable High-Performance Prefab with Rob Leonard

    In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Ilka Cassidy talks with Rob Leonard, a longtime builder and prefabrication specialist who helped develop the BuildSmart panel system and now leads PHIUS's Trades Training Program. Rob traces his path from decades in the field to pioneering panelized construction. Rob also shares what's next for industrialized offsite construction, from micro-factories to AI-assisted quality control, and reflects on workforce development as one of the most urgent challenges facing the building industry. Beeson Acres Resources LLC: https://www.beesonacresresources.com/Phius Trades Training Program to Help Shape the Future of Building: https://www.phius.org/phius-trades-training-program-help-shape-future-buildingVirginia Tech Housing Innovation Challenge: https://arch.vt.edu/experiential-learning/FutureHAUS/housing-innovation-challenge.htmlExpanding Industrialized Offsite Construction in Central Appalachia: https://cece.vt.edu/content/dam/cece_vt_edu/projects/Expanding%20industrialized%20offsite%20construction%20%28IOC%29%20in%20Central%20Appalachia.pdf Connect with Rob:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-leonard-b2873010 https://www.phius.org/our-people/rob-leonard Join us on the Reimagine Buildings Collective: https://collective.reimaginebuildings.com/ Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

    303: Scaling Affordable High-Performance Prefab with Rob Leonard

  3. Aug 31 ·  Bonus

    Bonus Episode: The Heat Pump Conversation You Don’t Want to Miss

    In this bonus episode of the Passive House Podcast, Brent Davidson and Brynn Cooksey discuss what’s changed in the heat-pump world, what architects, engineers, and contractors need to understand, and where the industry still needs to improve. They preview the U.S. Heat Pump Summit and why bringing the right people together could be key to getting heat pumps right at scale.   The conversation also sets the stage for Passive House Accelerator’s upcoming Heat Pump Solutions initiative, where collaborative Labs will help shape a public Heat Pump Solutions Symposium this October.   https://www.usheatpumpsummit.com/https://www.airdoctorshvacservice.com/ Brent Davidson:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentdavidson/Brynn Cooksey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theairdoctor/ Join us on the Reimagine Buildings Collective: https://collective.reimaginebuildings.com/ Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

    Bonus Episode: The Heat Pump Conversation You Don’t Want to Miss

  4. Aug 26

    302: Bringing Passive Building Principles to Schools with Evan Greulich

    In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Ilka Cassidy talks with Evan Greulich, project architect and manager at Quinn Evans, about his work bringing high-performance building strategies to affordable housing and, increasingly, to schools. Evan and Ilka chat about The Hammond at Greenmount Park, a new 109-unit affordable housing project in Baltimore and John Burroughs Elementary School in Washington, DC. The conversation covers the practical tradeoffs of building near-Passive performance without certification, the challenges of balancing historic preservation with airtightness and insulation strategies, and why Evan believes the biggest opportunity for passive building growth lies beyond housing. The Hammond at Greenmount Park and The Johnston Square Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library The Hammond at Greenmount Park – Baltimore, Maryland – Living Design Johnston Square Branch Library – Baltimore, Maryland – Learning Design Integrating Services Within Communities: Libraries as Superconnectors John Burroughs Elementary School (Modernization) Renewing Historic Schools, Part 1: Renovation Burroughs ES | dcps Green Building Advisory Council | doee Join us on the Reimagine Buildings Collective: https://collective.reimaginebuildings.com/ Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

    302: Bringing Passive Building Principles to Schools with Evan Greulich

  5. Aug 19

    301: Building the Next Generation of Passive House Professionals with John Loercher

    In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Ilka Cassidy talks with John Loercher, Passive House consultant, architect, and longtime Phius instructor with Northeast Projects. The conversation covers how the Phius standard has evolved since 2015 as well as growing industry attention to embodied carbon, hygrothermal modeling, and materials like straw bale construction. John also reflects on his years building the Phius Alliance New York chapter, the value of regional Passive House communities, and what excites him about expanding into new climates like Colorado's high elevation and PhiusCon's move to Phoenix. www.ne-projects.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/northeast-projects Join us on the Reimagine Buildings Collective: https://collective.reimaginebuildings.com/ Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

    301: Building the Next Generation of Passive House Professionals with John Loercher

  6. Aug 12

    300: Rethinking Cooling in the UK, with Dominic O'Riordan and Alan Budden

    In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Mary James is joined by UK-based architects Dominic O'Riordan and Alan Budden, both Passive House designers who opened their homes for the UK's Passive House Open Days during a record-breaking heat wave. Dominic and Alan discuss how their buildings performed under extreme heat, the shading strategies they wish they'd fought harder for at planning stage, and why attitudes toward mechanical cooling in the UK are shifting fast after decades of treating air conditioning as unnecessary.  EcoDesign Consultants: https://www.ecodesignconsultants.co.uk/Article mentioned by Zack: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/opinion/heat-wave-europe-america.html?unlocked_article_code=1.xlA.5iqJ._hKPg0bjq_M_&smid=url-share Join us on the Reimagine Buildings Collective: https://collective.reimaginebuildings.com/ Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

    300: Rethinking Cooling in the UK, with Dominic O'Riordan and Alan Budden

  7. Aug 5

    299: The Missing Standard for Panelized Construction with Johann Betz

    In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Matthew Cutler Welsh talks with Johann Betz, founder of Christchurch-based Offsite Design Ltd and a board member of OffsiteNZ. Johann's work focuses on helping designers, manufacturers, and builders deliver high-performance timber buildings through design-for-manufacture-and-assembly (DfMA) and offsite construction principles.  The conversation traces the history of panelized construction in New Zealand, why past attempts at large-scale prefab factories have struggled without a pipeline of designs built for manufacture and assembly, and why a shared framework for offsite delivery could improve quality, reduce risk, and make Passive House-level performance more scalable and repeatable across the industry. https://www.offsitedesign.co.nz/ https://www.osm3604.nz/ Join us on the Reimagine Buildings Collective: https://collective.reimaginebuildings.com/ Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

    299: The Missing Standard for Panelized Construction with Johann Betz

  8. Jul 30

    298: The Potential for Passive House at Scale in Australia with Sven Maxa

    In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, we speak with Sven Maxa, founder and co-director of Melbourne-based Maxa Design, an award-winning practice specialising in high-performance, sustainable homes and Passive House design. A Certified Passive House Designer, Sven has been at the forefront of energy-efficient residential design in Australia for more than two decades, helping demonstrate that healthy, comfortable, low-energy homes can also be beautiful and practical. Sven shares his key takeaways from the THRIVE Passive House Conference in Melbourne, reflecting on the growing momentum behind high-performance building across Australia. We discuss the significance of major volume builder Metricon’s presence at the event and what it could signal for the mainstream adoption of Passive House principles in the Australian residential sector. https://www.metricon.com.au/ Join us on the Reimagine Buildings Collective: https://collective.reimaginebuildings.com/ Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

    298: The Potential for Passive House at Scale in Australia with Sven Maxa
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4.8
out of 5
32 Ratings

About

Interviews with the leaders, practitioners, and change-makers in the global Passive House movement. A production of Passive House Accelerator.

Information

  • Creator
    Matthew Cutler-Welsh, Zack Semke, Mary James, and Ilka Cassidy
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    529
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Passive House Accelerator
  • Show Website
    Passive House Podcast

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