Case Studies
Rubble to Resilience: The Marshall Fire and the Sunflower Sanctuary
“It started with an ominous cloud of smoke in Boulder County…” Kevin and Casey Lombardo of Louisville, Colorado moved out West for a slower-paced after spending years on the East...
Read MoreHigh Performance & High in the Trees: A Pro Clima Treehouse
Location: Sparrowbush, NYProject Name: Little Birds TreehouseDesigners / Builders: Jeremy Shannon and FamilyEngineering / Hardware: Treehouse SuppliesAssembly: Rain screen, 2x6 insulated with hemp, INTELLO X sealed with TESCON VANA, 2x4...
Read MoreProject Spotlight: Indiana Street House by Studio 804
Photos provided by Corey Gaffer Photography Written by Emi Sanders, Student and Project Manager for Studio 804’s Indiana Street House 475 has been a longtime partner of the student design-build...
Read MoreHigh Performance Tiny House: First-Hand Accounts
This post is written by a customer, sharing their experience building a foam-free tiny house with the help of 475 High Performance Building Supply product consulting and materials. First-hand accounts...
Read MoreProject Spotlight: Loadingdock5 Long Island Retrofit
Seaside Passive House Retrofit Swims in Natural Light Drive far enough east of New York City and you will eventually hit a fork in the road. Turn right and you...
Read MoreBuilder Spotlight: ÉcoNovation in Québec
High Performance Is The Standard For The Next Generation Location: Southeastern Québec Projects: Harmony Sutton Triplex, Southern Comfort House, The Chateauneuf, Ayotte Claing Project, Duplex Richelieu Project Types: Single &...
Read MoreProject Spotlight: Historic Retrofit in Toronto’s Storied Wychwood Park Neighborhood
Welcome to Wychwood Park, one of the most well-preserved neighborhoods in Old Toronto. Taking its name and inspiration from the Wychwood Forest in Oxfordshire, England, it was first developed in...
Read MoreHow High Performance ADUs Address Housing and Climate
HD Construction in Seattle is part of a wave of builders tackling the housing crisis with high performance ADUs Take a look around and you may have noticed a new...
Read MoreWatch SoCal Low-Carbon Builders Talk Details On Their Latest Passive House
Watch this video series from Cairn Collaborative on Bishop Passive House. By thoroughly explaining the design principles of Passive House and working with the needs of the homeowners, Cairn...
Read MoreStudio 804 Demonstrates an Innovative and Efficient Shelter Solution
For the last several years, 475 has partnered with Studio 804, a hands-on, design-build graduate program at the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Design. Each year, Studio 804...
Read MoreProject Spotlight: Raising the Roof by Bringing Light to New Spaces
Project name: 19 Father Francis Location: Boston, Massachusetts, USA Project type: Top floor apartment of a 7-story building Date or time frame of construction: Skylights were installed and project was...
Read MoreThe Quantum Passivhaus Way: Combining Award-Winning Preservation With Pre-Fab Passive House Methods In Ontario
Project name: Elora Schoolhouse - 37 McNab Street Location: Elora, Ontario, Canada Project type: Single-family home on heritage site, preservation + Quantum Passivhaus engineered PHI certified pre-fab panel system Date...
Read MorePath Toward Perfection: A Beautiful High-Performance Home in Egremont, MA
Location: Egremont, Massachusetts, USA Project type: Single-family new construction Builders: Little Deer & Company Architects: EASTON COMBS Architects Assembly: Vented rainscreen - MENTO 1000 - plywood - 12" vertical I-joist...
Read MoreProject Spotlight: Phoenix Haus - Launch of the H19 Passive House
Project Spotlight Location: Mesa, Colorado, USA Project type: Single-family new construction Prefab Builders: Phoenix Haus Design and Passive House Certification: Shape Architecture Assembly: 2x framed wall with densepack cellulose, continuous...
Read MoreResistance Is Not Futile: Laura Blau and a Legal Win for Passive House Levels of Insulation
When Laura Blau had a fine art exhibition in Paris, in the early 1980s, at the American Center, it was requested that two pieces be taken down - the observer...
Read MoreBuilding Panels With Only Wood, Straw, and Smart Vapor Control
Project Spotlight Location: Leyden, MA Architect: Michael Dobler Panel Builders: New Frameworks, HELM Builders General Contractor: Holden Builders Project Details Bottom of wall Window sill Window head Top of wall...
Read MoreNew Day School Brings A New Day for Early Education
When New Day School, a Neo-Humanist preschool in Southeast Portland Oregon, looked for a team to execute the design and renovation of their Kishalay Building, Green Hammer Design Build’s passion...
Read MoreCedar Shingles Hide a Beautiful Retrofit Wall Assembly
Small-Town Woodframe Retrofit Transforms Into A High-Performance Co-Working Space In the mid-coast Maine town of Bowdoinham, the local 1950’s Post Office on Main Street was run down and in dire...
Read MoreA CLT Home On The Lake
Maine-based OPAL Architecture, Research, and Design, led by Matthew O’Malia, continues to trailblaze with innovative Passive House projects. With their Lake Waramaug residence in Connecticut, OPAL collaborated with 475 to...
Read MoreA Wood-Frame Retrofit, Wrapped in Wood Insulation
Sidney Beaumont is an Emmy-award-winning documentary filmmaker, 475 investor, and Passive House enthusiast. His films are of special interest to those concerned with climate and environment, including: From the Ashes...
Read More