Beauty at Low Cost and the Passive House Movement w/ COTE

In 2007, Brussels set out to build “Exemplary Buildings” that were very low-energy, economical, and beautiful. Eight years later, the market was transformed as a result of the growing number of Exemplary Buildings. The Passive House standard went from being a novelty to a building code mandate in 2015. Essential to this revolution were the efforts of architect Sebastian Moreno-Vacca and his firm A2M. His projects have proven that Passive House can be beautiful and need not cost more than other buildings. The talents and influence of A2M are not limited to Brussels. Among other Passive House projects, the company is building the Belgian Embassy in Kinshasa Congo and Rabat Morocco and working on high rise buildings in New York City.

The Architecture 2030 challenge and the Seattle Climate Action Plan focus on reducing GHG emissions to address climate change. Passive House is a great building efficiency standard that reliably and affordably delivers deep cuts in energy use proportionate to the climate challenge. Beyond creating net-zero and energy positive buildings, Passive House construction also provides increased comfort, indoor health, and climate resilience.

Speakers:

Sebastian Moreno-Vacca, A2M Architects
Julie Willem, A2M Architects