Passive House Podcast
Interviews with the leaders, practitioners, and change-makers in the global Passive House movement. A production of Passive House Accelerator.
Episodes
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 const...
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 ...
In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Jay Fox talks with Nakita Reed, Senior Director for Preservation Operations at the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. Nakita discusses her new role bridging preservation, equity, and sustainability, the Action Fund's work funding projects like conserving Black modernism and stewarding sites such as Nina Simone's childhood home, and the ongoing tension between historic commi...
In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Matthew Cutler Welsh talks with Andy Marlow, director at Envirotecture and Passive House Design and Construct, for a recap of Thrive 2026 in Melbourne. Andy shares his take on the growing presence of volume builders and even a retirement living provider at the conference, the ongoing challenge of scaling prefabrication despite its clear advantages, and how ventilation and airtightness a...
In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Ilka Cassidy talks with Michelle Apigian, Managing Principal and ESG Director at ICON Architecture, about the moment that changed how she thinks about building design, Icon's path to becoming a high-performance practice in Massachusetts, and the unique challenges of bringing Passive House principles to occupied and existing buildings. Michelle also shares her wish list for the industry ...
In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Jay Fox talks with Mikhail Haramati, NRDC's state industrial decarbonization lead, about her path from California energy efficiency programs and policy work at UC Berkeley and LBNL, through the California Energy Commission and NYSERDA, to her current focus on embodied carbon in building materials.
They discuss the scale of the problem (cement and concrete alone account for about 8% of gl...
In this Episode of the Passive House Podcast, Ilka Cassidy shares on-the-ground interviews from Green Building United’s Sustainability Symposium in Philadelphia, highlighting regional policy, incentives, and high-performance affordable housing work. Ilka chats first with Rich Freeh and Emily Pugliese of Green Building United about Pennsylvania’s divided political landscape, lagging energy code ad...
This episode of the Passive House Podcast was recorded during the Passive House Network conference in New Haven, Connecticut, hosted at the first certified Passive House hotel in the U.S. Hotel Marcel. Ilka Cassidy chatted with Ken Levenson about the theme “Profit by Experience” and Architect of Hotel Marcel Bruce Becker. Ilka also talked to other attendees like Timothy Lock, Beth Campbell, Karen Ramsey, and Cheryl Sald...
Passive House design and construction is a team sport. It requires effective strategies and cooperation, but also precision in the field and the ability to tweak and recalibrate systems once the building is complete. A robust envelope may be the superpower of Passive House construction, allowing for downsized mechanical systems, electrification, and reduced stress on the energy grid, but these benefits are only achieved if everythi...
In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Mary James and Ilka Cassidy speak with Joel Callow, building physicist and founding director of UK consultancy Beyond Carbon, about scaling certified Passive House delivery in London. Callow explains the firm’s focus on whole life carbon, compact building forms, overheating avoidance, and early-stage design input, and notes the team has grown to 12 people with recruitment challeng...
In this episode of the Passive House Accelerator Podcast, Ilka Cassidy chats with Marty Josten and Ashley Wisse of New Ecology. Marty and Ashley describe the nonprofit’s 26-year mission to preserve and improve affordable housing through sustainability, building performance, health, and resiliency, using a hybrid fee-for-service and grant-funded model. They discuss evolving embodied-carbon requirements, regional market differe...
In this episode of the Passive House Accelerator podcast, Ilka Cassidy interviews Nathan Kipnis, founder of Kipnis Architecture and Planning in Chicago and Boulder, about his path from early solar architecture influences during the 1973 oil embargo to today’s fact-based, certifiable Passive House practice. Kipnis explains how early rule-of-thumb passive solar design often led to overheating, and how building science and clima...
In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Michael Ingui and Ilka Cassidy to share their interview with Dr. Wolfgang Feist from the 35th International Passive House Conference in Essen and discuss where Passive House is headed. Dr. Wolfgang Feist emphasizes focusing on documented, evaluated projects, the importance of integrated component systems. Looking back, he credits early collaboration with Swedish researchers and the push...
In this episode of the Passive House Podcast Ilka Cassidy and Michael Ingui, are at the International Passive House Conference in Essen and share rapid-fire interviews focused on scaling Passive House. With questions based on Michael's presentation at the conference focusing on moving Passive House from niche to necessary by reframing it as risk mitigation and engaging adjacent sectors like insurance, real estate, finance, and poli...
In this episode of The Passive House Podcast, Matthew Cutler - Welsh interviews Elizabeth and Everett Norris from their newly completed Christchurch home. They describe their Port Hills site on Huntsbury Hill, bought after the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes, and discuss the area’s microclimate and west–northwest-oriented design. They share challenges including long build times, working largely solo, living on site after a ...
In this episode of the Passive House Podcast Jay Fox interviews Vermont filmmaker Allie Rood about her documentary Prickly Mountain and My Design Build Life, which traces the design-build architecture movement that began in Warren, Vermont around 1963 and influenced design-build programs nationwide. Rood explains her personal connection through her father’s work in the community, the movement’s roots among Yale architec...
In this episode of The Passive House Podcast, Mary James chats with Nidhi Shah, a certified Passive House designer and member of the Reimagine Buildings Collective. Shah traces her path from early sustainability interests in India to Passive House training in the UK. They dive into her retrofit-focused work with Retrofit Action for Tomorrow (RAFT), emphasizing whole-building approaches over piecemeal measures like external wall ins...
In this episode of The Passive House Podcast, Matthew Cutler-Welsh speaks with Andreas Goetzabout building the Wunderbar Passive House in Orewa, about 40 minutes north of Auckland. Originally from Germany and motivated by comfort and health, Goetz pursued Passive House despite local challenges, choosing a simple rectangular ICF design with imported European triple-glazed windows and integrated exterior shutters to manage overheatin...
In this episode of The Passive House Podcast, Ilka Cassidy and Jacob Racusin are at the BuildingEnergy Boston 2026 Conference (Sponsored by New Energy Works).
Ilka and Jacob recap day 2 of the conference including a keynote by Melissa O’Mara and Kevin Stack, “Unstoppable Inner Resilience and Generational Leadership,” which guided attendees through a meditation connecting to ancestors and future generations, highlig...
In this episode of The Passive House Podcast, Ilka Cassidy and Jacob Racusin are at the BuildingEnergy Boston 2026 Conference (Sponsored by New Energy Works).
Ilka and Jacob speak with:
- Gregory Smith, Architect at Moody Nolan
- Clay Tilton, Existing Buildings Program ManagerBuilt Environment Plus (BE+)
- Arlen Li, Fitwel Ambassador, Planning PrincipalHGA
- Anthony Michetti, Director of Sustainability, Cell Signaling Technology
- Julie Newman...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.