The Iowa Nest Residence was recently featured in a presentation on Net Zero Energy buildings at the Trimble Dimensions conference in Las Vegas. Among other topics, the presentation covered the custom-built monitoring systems that measure temperature and relative humidity on an ongoing basis, as well as the eGauge system that monitors energy use at the circuit level.
Webinar: Design Strategies for a Cost-Effective Passive House
The Iowa Nest was featured in the Phius webinar “Design Strategies for a Cost-Effective Passive House,” presented by Sanyog Rathod and Carl Sterner of Sol design + consulting. The webinar can be viewed free online here: https://www.phius.org/design-strategies-cost-effective-passive-house
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Press: Iowa Nest Residence featured on SketchUp Blog
The Iowa Nest Residence is featured on the SketchUp Blog as a case study in Net Zero Energy design. The article includes key lessons that were learned during design, including the importance of the overall shape of the home on performance and cost, and the importance of looking at passive measures and HVAC system holistically.
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DAAPx Presentation: Summer House, Winter House
What does it mean to be “comfortable?” This presentation at the DAAPx Symposium on Experiential Design in September 2020 uses the Iowa Nest Residence to explore the idea of designing for “thermal delight” (a term coined by Lisa Heschong in her book of the same name). It discusses how comfort is far more than just air temperature, and how these additional physical sensations were used in the Nest Residence to maintain comfort largely through passive measures.
Press: ICF Builder Magazine
The Iowa Nest Residence was featured on the cover, and in a feature article, of the May/June 2020 issue of ICF Builder Magazine. The issue focuses on green building, energy efficiency, and Passive House projects.
Winner: 2020 ICF Builder Award
The Nest Residence won the 2020 ICF Builder Award in the category of Small Residential. The annual project-of-the-year competition is widely regarded as the biggest event in the Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) industry.
The Nest Residence is Featured in the New Edition of MEEB
The 13th edition of Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings (AKA “MEEB”) has just been published by Wiley. Chapter 1 on Design Process prominently features the Iowa Nest Residence as an exemplar of high-performance design — incorporating much of the material that has been discussed in detail on this blog.
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Iowa BEC Tour No. 2
We were pleased to host the Iowa Building Enclosure Council (BEC) once again to show our progress on the house and review the design process we used to meet our ambitious energy and cost goals.
The group toured the house previously in 2017, and we were delighted to be able to show our progress.
Slideshow: Achieving Net Zero Energy at Conventional Cost
Below is the slideshow I presented on April 20, 2017 to the Iowa Building Enclosure Council, and to a sustainable construction class from Hawkeye Community College.
The version below is slightly edited to make it easier to follow online. (I tend to avoid text in my presentations, which can make them difficult to follow without accompaniment.)
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Iowa Building Enclosure Council Tour
We were pleased to host the Iowa chapter of the Building Enclosure Council (BEC) for a house tour and presentation, as well as a sustainable construction class from Hawkeye College. Many thanks to everyone who came out — including for the many excellent questions and kind words about the house.