NK Architects Now Has Highest Number of Certified Passive House Consultants in North America
Seattle, WA (PRWEB) February 15, 2017 -- As reported recently by Vancouver, BC-based Pembina Institute, North America is experiencing exponential growth in the design and construction of Passive House projects: buildings that meet the world’s most stringent energy efficiency standard.
With this growth in Passive House design and construction has come an acceleration in Passive House training among architecture firms focused on sustainable design, sparking a friendly rivalry between companies. Seattle and Pittsburgh-based NK Architects just claimed pole position in this high performance design training race. On Monday, NK received results from Germany’s Passive House Institute for the recent Certified Passive House Consultant and Designer examination. NK now has 21 CPHCs and CPHDs, the highest number of any firm in North America.
“I’ve been in architecture for over 25 years, and to me the Passive House method of designing is really the top of the game,” said NK’s CEO Tim Weyand. “It’s taking off, and I’m excited that our corps of certified designers will be at the center of it all.”
NK Architects has a history at the leading edge of Passive House design. The firm designed Seattle’s first certified Passive House, Park Passive, a custom home that won the national 2014 Housing Award from American Institute of Architects and the 2016 Passive Projects Design Award from Passive House Institute US (PHIUS). The firm now has several major multifamily Passive House projects–and one Passive House library–underway between its two offices.
In Pittsburgh, the firm’s Passive House projects, designed in collaboration with Thoughtful Balance, include:
- Morningside Crossing: a Passive House retrofit and addition to an elementary school, to become 46 units of senior housing.
- Glassport: another Passive House retrofit and addition to an elementary school, to become 55 units of senior housing.
- Carrick Library: a two-story Passive House replacement of the outdated Carrick Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
In Seattle, NK's Passive House projects include:
- Pax Futura: a multifamily Passive House building in the Columbia City neighborhood, with 32 studio and one-bedroom apartments and 3 live/work units.
- Uptown Passive House Apartments: a multifamily Passive House building in Lower Queen Anne with 56 studio, 1, and 2-bedroom units, as well as 3 live/work units.
- 11th and Republican: a 20-unit Passive House retrofit and new multifamily building with a rooftop solar array that connects an historic Capitol Hill home with a modern new building.
- Arbors Passive: a luxury Passive House home in Maltby, WA.
“The built environment can accelerate the clean energy transition and help curb carbon emissions,” said Weyand. “The key is to create zero carbon buildings at scale, and Passive House design allows us to do that. Add some renewable energy and you’re there.”
NK congratulates its Certified Passive House Designers and Consultants:
- In Pittsburgh: Jim Bischoff, Loren Brandford, Marc Ford, Rebecca Griffith, Shanna Kovalchick, Lauren McCunney, Brandon Nicholson, and Alyssa Swisher.
- In Seattle: Marie Caryl, Suzanne Davison, Emily Evenson, Steve Fischer, Alec Gardner, Joe Giampietro, Christine Goodwin, Rachel Hedlof, Peggy Heim, Katie Luedeman, Briana Peretti, Brittany Porter, and Alyse Zimmer.
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ABOUT NK ARCHITECTS
NK Architects is a full service architecture firm with offices in Seattle and Pittsburgh. The firm uses a science-proven approach to design healthy, zero-carbon buildings that make economic sense. The goal is to transform the market through superior value. http://www.nkarch.com
Zack Semke, NK Architects, http://www.nkarch.com, +1 206-933-1150, [email protected]
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