Below are comments made to the PHIUS review committee by Barry Stephens of Zehnder America. Reprinted here with permission. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In reviewing the Climate Specific Passive Building Standards, I encounter some glaring deficiencies. Although there is a lack of detail in the draft with regards to H/ERVs and ventilation, it can be determined that there is no actual standard being used to quantify energy efficiency and/or energy recovery that correlates…
Building Efficiency and Blower Doors: Essential Responses to Sandy
By Ken Levenson, A.I.A. Superstorm Sandy has produced a torrent of meetings, plans, reports, announcements and actions by city, state, federal and non-governmental organizations. Today, before their terms expire, the New York City Council and Mayor are racing to pass important legislation based on these past months of herculean effort. While the action may be understandably focused on measures directly related to storm survival of our built environment from wind…
