Saturday, September 2, 2017

Design Business and Delivering Passive House at MArket Value

Passive Buildings Canada has been busy recently and they are teaming with Yestermorrow to offer the following 2 courses.  Very tempting.
LT

It takes far more than being a great designer and builder to establish a successful design/build business.  Adam Cohen shares his insights in developing a successful business model to produce low energy buildings on time and on budget.   Join several  Toronto based firms,make contacts and grow your business.   https://yestermorrow.org/learn/courses/designing-and-building-successful-designbuild-business

Interested in the LEAN process specifically geared to the work you do?  This class will discuss the basics of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), Passive Building design principles, LEAN construction, work flows specific to IPD, BIM integration and in-depth instruction in the design ~ estimating integration needed for a successful project. It would be amazing to have the tools to run projects smoothly and effectively with all team members on board helping to get to the same goals then this course is for you and your team.   https://yestermorrow.org/learn/courses/delivering-high-performance-buildings-market-rate

Monday, August 28, 2017

Adding Screens to European Passive House Windows

I recently had the most pleasurable experience of designing an entire off-grid cottage for some awesome clients, including the architecture, the structure, and the energy systems.
A major issue with this house was the insect screens!  We used Klearwall Passive House windows, and they don't come with screens.  This was an inconvenience because the northern ontario cloaction for this cottage is rife with insects.
Klearwall sent me some 'clips' for insect screens, which arrived sans instructions.  Having just received them, I was surprised.  They are nothing more than what is well-known as 'lift-off' hinges.  These ones are black, and came without any manufacturer markings. - Perhaps of asian manufacturing origin?  But looks like something Southco or JW Winco would carry.

This whole issue is a complex one, as the windows have really no provision for the addition of insect screening.  We have to build our own, using these plastic lift-off hinges, which I plan to attempt on our own house.  There is a good amount of friction or grip on the lifting-off motion, so I can see they could work.
In the meantime, I found an article online which has an even simpler solution, one that is just beautiful for cost and elegance.
Here is the link.
http://afbtoday.blogspot.ca/2015/06/how-to-install-screens-in-your-german.html

Will provide further updates shortly, as I continue to search for that super cool adhesive strip with nubbies that grip the screen - like a specialized velcro.