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Username
Ken Neuhauser
Proposer First Name
Ken
Proposer Email
kneuhauser@buildingevo.com
Proposer Last Name
Neuhauser
Proposer Company/Organization
Building Evolution Corporation
Proposer Phone
(978) 201-0745
Proposer Job Title
President
Proposer Additional Info
I am a lifetime NESEA member
Proposed Session Description
The multifamily construction sector in the Northeast has witnessed an exponential growth in the number of projects pursuing and exploring Passive House. As more and more of these projects are completed or reach the bidding face, factual incremental cost data emerges. And cost premiums have been modest, particularly for well-planned projects with experienced teams. Find out areas to expect a cost premium and where cost premiums can be easily managed by examining multiple categories of costs from MassCEC’s Passive House Design Challenge. What lessons and innovative strategies can help you realize low-to-no costs premium for Passive House performance? The presenters will share a playbook of approaches you might employ including practices to avoid the general contractor “scare” factor, strategies to address sequencing challenges, how to use mock ups throughout, and mechanical system and appliance decisions that will simplify your life, and more!
Diversity and Inclusiveness
Beverly Craig is a woman policy maker. Examples of costs in this session will draw from affordable housing passive projects. Many of Ken’s examples will be drawn from affordable housing passive projects.
Learning Objectives
Identify cost categories such as ventilation, insulation, windows, shading, thermal bridge breaks, HVAC, green building consulting, green building verification and summarize how those categories changed for multiple Passive multifamily projects
enact methods to better inform cost estimators and subcontractors bidding on passive projects about differences from standard construction
convey strategies for avoiding sequencing and detailing problems during construction of Passive multi-family projects
Apply innovative approaches to design, construction approach, and products seen in Passive multi-family projects
Has this session been presented before?
No
Target Audiences Level of Expertise
Level 2 - Some prior knowledge helpful.

Strongest Content Connection - Boston 2021

Reviewer 1
Li, Arlen
Proposal #
172
Committee Decision
Rejected
Full Description
Property owners, architects, energy professionals, and general contractors need to understand that passive construction is not an expensive premium and regularly is within the range of cost fluctuation you see in multi-family construction. Instead of pointing to great, but long, webinars of case studies, we hope to tease out the useful lessons and approaches for containing costs and suggest systems, design strategies, and in-field approaches that can save on construction costs. Most of these lessons and approaches are applicable to all high performance construction, not just Passive House.