Building science is at the core of high-performance construction, but it takes more than an understanding of psi-values and hygrothermal dynamics to actually get these buildings built. As we see in this episode, having a real-world understanding of materials science, finance, and how people actually work together is yet another component to this line of work. Granted, there’s still a lot of building science involved, as emphasized by the clips featuring Ed May and Ben Bogie, but this episode of The Reimagine Edit series of the Passive House Podcast should be a reminder that construction touches loads of academic fields, and that the status of expert will forever be a moving target in an evolving industry.

In this episode, host Zack Semke shares selected clips of conversations from the Reimagine Collective. Featured speakers include Ben Bogie, Jesse Hunt, Michael Ingui, Ed May, and Emily Mottram.

The Reimagine Edit is a special series of the Passive House Podcast that shares curated insights from our Experts-In-Residence at the Reimagine Buildings Collective, our membership community of building professionals stepping up to tackle climate change. Learn more about the Reimagine Buildings Collective at https://www.reimaginebuildings.com.

In this episode of The Passive House Podcast, Zack Semke chats with Nick Nigro of Leggat McCall about the Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment in Charlestown, Boston, a phased replacement of 42 aging WWII-era public housing buildings into 2,699 mixed-income units. Nick explains how the team committed to Passive House from day one and is using a repeatable “kit of parts”—precast lateral-load-bearing cores, prefabricated load-bearing exterior panels, and CLT floor systems—to improve speed, reduce temporary work, and lower both carbon and cost through iteration across 15 buildings. He describes early modeling, enclosure mockup testing, and construction-sequencing innovations like using the permanent elevator as a hoist.

https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/critical-mass-scaling-passive-house-at-bunker-hill
https://www.lmp.com/

Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

In this episode of The Passive House Podcast, Mary James chats with Kia Weatherspoon, founder of Determined by Design. Weatherspoon describes how experiences visiting her brother in prison and creating privacy during Air Force deployments shaped her belief that spaces must be felt, not just seen. She explains her mission-driven focus on affordable housing and a design process rooted in ancestry, legacy, and identity, translating community narratives into specific material and layout decisions. The discussion emphasizes bringing interiors into the integrated design team early, pushing for healthier materials amid cost and pricing-transparency challenges, and streamlining specifications to maintain budgets. The hosts reflect on how interior environments affect wellbeing and project outcomes.

https://www.determinedbydesign.com/portfolio/station-u-o/

https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/leading-with-humanity-passive-interior-design