Changing the way we design and construct the built environment through example, education and innovation.

The savings to be realized by Passive House architecture are exponentially increased when we build institutional and commercial projects. We are pleased to have one of the most experienced commercial/institutional Passive House architects in the world as our founder. Adam Cohen brings thirty years of experience as both a builder and an architect. He has amassed a notable list of projects, including several ‘firsts’:

• 1st in the world Passive House dental clinic
• 1st in the world Passive House with a commercial kitchen
• 1st North American Passive House certified public school
• 1st North American Passive House university student center
• 1st North American Passive House religious assembly building
• Largest North American Passive House project to date – a college dormitory

Selected Passive House Commercial Projects________________________________________
Center for Energy Efficient Design (CEED), First Passive House certified US public school, Rocky Mount, VA
Malcolm Rosenberg Center for Jewish Life, 8,000 sf Student Center, Blacksburg, VA
Hickory Hall, 40,000 sf Dormitory, Emory and Henry College, Emory, VA
New Office for Dr. Lynch, Dickey, Singleton, First Passivhaus certified dental clinic worldwide, Roanoke, VA
Oracle Institute, 7,600 sf Mixed Use Assembly, Independence, VA
BMW of Smithtown, 20,000 sf Showroom, Smithtown, NY
Near West Theatre,20,000 sf Theater, Cleveland, OH
The Distillery, 50,000 sf Multifamily, Boston, MA
Oberlin Road Animal Hospital, 20,000 sf, Animal Hospital, Raleigh, NC
2nd and Delaware, 300,000 sf, Multifamily, Kansas City, MO
Odin View Senior Living, 50,000 sf, Multifamily, Pittsburgh, PA
Ambridge Crossing, 50,000 sf, Multifamily, Ambridge, PA
Roxbury Place. 48,000 sf, Multifamily, Johnstown, PA
New Kensington Pioneer Apartments and Family Services of Western Pennsylvania Offices. 75,000 sf, Multifamily / Office, New Kensington, PA
Hershey Montessori School, 12,000 sf, Concord, OH
Clarion Senior Housing, 48,000 sf, Clarion, PA

Selected Design/Build Medical Projects________________________________________
Roanoke Neurological Associates – Neurological Clinic, Roanoke, VA
Neurosurgery Incorporated – Neurological Clinic, Roanoke, VA
Dr. Garrett Thompson – Chiropractic Clinic, Roanoke, VA
Dr. Michael Haas – Chiropractic Clinic, Roanoke, VA
Dr. Richard Smith, DDS – Dental Clinic, Roanoke, VA
Dr. Gary Roach, DDS – Dental Clinic, Roanoke, VA
Dr. James Reynolds, DDS – Dental Clinic, Roanoke, VA
Dr. David Farley, DDS – Dental Clinic, Roanoke, VA
Dr. Sandy Andrews – Dental Clinic, Roanoke, VA
Dr. Paul Kaiser,DDS- Orthodontic Clinic, Roanoke, VA
Dr. Murray Joiner – Rehabilitation & Pain Clinic, Roanoke, VA

Selected Design/Build Religious Projects________________________________________
Campbell Memorial Presbyterian Church – Roanoke, VA
Three Oaks United Methodist Church – Hardy, VA
New Hope Baptist Church – Botetourt, VA
New Testament Church – Roanoke, VA
Clearbrook Baptist Church – Roanoke, VA
Daleville Baptist Church – Botetourt, VA
Community Advent Christian Church – Roanoke, VA
North Valley Seventh Day Adventist Church – Roanoke, VA

Selected Design/Build Banking Projects________________________________________
Suntrust Bank – Branch Bank, Roanoke, VA
Valley Bank – Branch Bank, Roanoke, VA
Hometown Bank – Branch Bank, Roanoke, VA
Bank of Botetourt – Branch Bank, Smith Mountain Lake, VA

Selected Design/Build Office Projects________________________________________
Atlantic Mutual – Salem, VA
Remax – Roanoke, VA
Atlantic Credit & Finance – Roanoke, VA
Yellow Cab Offices & Shops – Roanoke, VA
Froehling & Robertson – Roanoke, VA

Selected Design/Build Educational Projects________________________________________
Community School – Roanoke, VA
Rivermont School, Phase 1 – Roanoke, VA
Rivermont School, Phase 2 – Roanoke, VA
Rivermont School, Phase 3 – Roanoke, VA

Selected Design/Build Retail Projects________________________________________
Valhalla Vineyards – Roanoke, VA
Botetourt Commons, Bldg. 1 – Botetourt, VA
Botetourt Commons, Bldg. 2 – Botetourt, VA
Movie Starz Video – Roanoke, VA
Riverside Commercial Center – Roanoke, VA
John Norman Clothiers – Botetourt, VA
Fink’s Jewelers’ Corporate Headquarters – Roanoke, VA
Fink’s Jewelers – Forest, VA
Blockbuster Video – Botetourt, VA
Wine Gourmet – Botetourt, VA
Laurel Hills Salon – Roanoke, VA

Selected Design/Build Restaurant Projects________________________________________
Red Palace – Roanoke, VA
Brambleton Deli – Roanoke, VA
Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea -Botetourt, VA
Carlos Brazilian Restaurant -Roanoke, VA
202 Market – Roanoke, VA
Annie Moore’s Pub – Roanoke, VA
Schaal’s Metamorphosis – Roanoke, VA
Shula’s 347 – Roanoke, VA
Domino’s Pizza – Roanoke, VA
Domino’s Pizza – Vinton, VA

Selected Design/Build Industrial Projects________________________________________
Intelos Substation – Troutville, VA
Intelos Switch & Battery – Clifton Forge, VA
Broadway Commerce Park – Roanoke, VA
Amerigas Distribution Center – Roanoke, VA
Plastics One – Roanoke, VA

Selected Passive House Residential Projects________________________________________
Knight Residence, Charlottesville, VA
Fox Residence, Raphine, VA
Wallace Residence, Stuart, VA
Specht Residence, Thaxton, VA
Huff~Collins Residence, Ironto, VA
Carmouche Residence, Roanoke, VA
Amonette Residence, Natural Bridge, VA
St. Paul’s School, New Duplex Faculty Residence, Concord, NH
Old Residence, Orlando, FL
Kennedy Residence, Huston, TX
Igo Residence, Harrisburg, PA
Nicholls Resdence, LaGrange, KY
Maas Residence, Grand Cayman
Cone Residence, Raleigh, NC
Heintzelman Residence, Lebanon, VA

Publications________________________________________
Cohen, A.J., Conditioning Energy Recovery Ventilation, September 2015, Proceedings of the 10th Annual National Passivhaus Conference
Cohen, A.J., Large buildings + Cold Climates + Passivhaus = recipe for cost efficient low energy, September 2015, Proceedings of the 10th Annual National Passivhaus Conference
Cohen, A.J., Integrated Project Delivery of Passivhaus, a pathway to high performance at market rate, April 2015, Proceedings of the 19th Annual International Passivhaus Conference
Cohen, A.J., Design & Construction of the LDS Dental Clinic, September 2014, Proceedings of the 9th Annual National Passivhaus Conference
Cohen, A.J., Built Comparison of a Passivhaus and a Standard American Dormitory – A Twin Study, April 2014, Proceedings of the 18th Annual International Passivhaus Conference
Cohen, A.J., Design & Construction of the LDS Dental Clinic, April 2014, Proceedings of the 18th Annual International Passivhaus Conference
Cohen, A.J., Design & Construction of the Malcolm Rosenberg Center for Jewish Life, April 2013, Proceedings of the 17th Annual International Passivhaus Conference
Cohen, A.J., Design of the Hickory Hall Dormitory – A Twin Study in the Making, September 2012, Proceedings of the 7th Annual National Passive House Conference
Cohen, A.J., Realizing full potential in the US. Commercial Passivhaus makes sense, May 2012, Proceedings of the 16th Annual International Passivhaus Conference
Cohen, A.J. & Richman, R., Entering U Values of Mixed Assemblies in PHPP, April 2012, PHIUS Journal
Cohen, A.J. & Richman, R., Radiation Balance within PHPP, Feb. 2012, PHIUS Journal
Cohen, A.J., Construction and Monitoring of the First US Passivhaus Public School Building, May 2011, Proceedings of the 15th Annual International Passivhaus Conference
Cohen, A.J. & Siskos, K., A Fabric First Approach to Energy Efficiency, Fall 2010, Design Lines
Cohen, A.J., Dreams in Wood and Stone, Fall 1986, Katuah Journal,

Selected Invited Addresses________________________________________
Cohen, A.J., Passive Strategies for High Performance Design, Ontario Association of Architects Session #5, 2030 Challenge Series, March 2016, Toronto, Ontario
Cohen, A.J., Passiv for the Masses – Tunneling Through the Cost Barrier through Innovative Design and Production Methods, March 2016, Boston, MA
Cohen, A.J., Affordable Passive House Commercial Buildings – Secrets Revealed, NESEA conference, March 2016, Boston, MA
Cohen, A.J., Passiv for the Masses – Tunneling Through the Cost Barrier through Innovative Design and Production Methods, Better Buildings Conference, February 2016, Burlington, VT
Cohen, A.J., Affordable Passive House Commercial Buildings – Secrets Revealed, Better Buildings Conference, February 2016, Burlington, VT
Cohen, A.J., Market Rate Delivery of Low Energy Passivhaus Buildings for the LEAN Practitioner, 17 Annual National LEAN Construction Conference, October 2015, Boston, MA
Cohen, A.J., Conditioning Energy Recovery Ventilation, 10th Annual National Passivhaus Conference, September 2015, Chicago, IL
Cohen, A.J., Large buildings + Cold Climates + Passivhaus = recipe for cost efficient low energy, 10th Annual National Passivhaus Conference, September 2015, Chicago, IL
Cohen, A.J., Large Buildings + Cold Climates + Passivhaus = Recipe for Cost-Efficient Low Energy, Steamboat City Council, August 2015, Steamboat, CO
Cohen, A.J., Commercial Passivhaus Design Basics, Ontario Association of Architects Annual Conference, May 2015, Toronto, Ontario
Cohen, A.J., Passive Strategies for High Performance Design, Ontario Association of Architects Session #5, 2030 Challenge Series, May 2015, Toronto, Ontario
Cohen, A.J., Integrated Project Delivery of Passivhaus, a pathway to high performance at market rate, 19th Annual International Passivhaus Conference, April 2015, Leipzig, Germany
Cohen, A.J., Affordable Passive House Commercial Buildings – Secrets Revealed, NESEA conference, March 2015, Boston, MA
Cohen, A.J., Design Build and Integrated Project Management 101, NESEA conference, March 2015, Boston, MA
Cohen, A.J., Large Buildings + Cold Climates + Passivhaus = Recipe for Cost-Efficient Low Energy, Better Buildings Conference, February 2015, Burlington, VT
Cohen, A.J., Design & Construction of the LDS Dental Clinic, 9th Annual National Passivhaus Conference, September 2014, San Francisco, CA
Cohen, A.J., Delivered Market Rate High Performance Design, New York Passive House Conference, June 2014, New York, NY
Cohen, A.J., Passive Strategies for High Performance Design, Ontario Association of Architects Session #5, 2030 Challenge Series, May 2014, Toronto, Ontario
Cohen, A.J., Commercial Passivhaus Design Basics, Ontario Association of Architects Annual Conference, May 2014, Montreal, Quebec
Cohen, A.J., Built Comparison of a Passivhaus and a Standard American Dormitory – A Twin Study, 18th Annual International Passivhaus Conference, April 2014, Aachen, Germany
Cohen, A.J., Design & Construction of the LDS Dental Clinic, 18th Annual International Passivhaus Conference, April 2014, Aachen, Germany
Cohen, A.J., Market-Rate Passivhaus Construction Myth or Reality – Passiv building pathway to high performance at market rate, World of Modular Conference, March 2014, San Antonio, TX
Cohen, A.J., Integrated Project Delivery of Passiv Buildings, Construction Specifications Institute, March 2014, Dallas, TX
Cohen, A.J., Experts Panel – High Performance Design and Delivery, NESEA conference, March 2014, Boston, MA
Cohen, A.J., Delivery of Commercial Passivhaus at Market Rate, Passive House Conference Northwest, March 2014, Portland, OR
Cohen, A.J., Integrated Project Delivery of Passiv Buildings, Better Buildings Conference, February 2014, Burlington, VT
Cohen, A.J., Delivery of High Performance Buildings at Market Rate,
Owens Corning Innovation Center, November 2013, Granville, OH
Cohen, A.J., Delivery of High Performance Buildings at Market Rate, Greenbuild Conference, November 2013, Philadelphia, PA
Cohen, A.J., Presentation of four Completed Commercial Passivhaus Projects, 8th Annual National Passivhaus Conference, October 2013, Pittsburg, PA
Cohen, A.J., Design/Build and Passive House, Excellence in Building Conference, September 2013, Phoenix, AZ
Cohen, A.J., Design & Construction of the Malcolm Rosenberg Center for Jewish Life at Virginia Polytechnic University, a mixed used assembly building in a mixed-humid climate., 17th Annual International Passivhaus Conference, April 2013, Frankfurt, Germany
Cohen, A.J., The Bullitt Center form a Passivhaus Point of View, Passive House Conference Northwest, March 2013, Seattle, WA
Cohen, A.J., Three Examples of North American Built Commercial Passivhaus, NESEA conference, March 2013, Boston, MA
Cohen, A.J., Advanced Commercial Passivhaus Design, NESEA conference, March 2013, Boston, MA
Cohen, A.J., Passive House Projects Makes Cents (and Dollars) for Developers, Where Passive House Standards Meet Multifamily Buildings, November 2012, New York, NY
Cohen, A.J., Practical Means to Achieve Wide Spread Extremely Air-Tight Building Enclosures, Ryerson University, November 2012, Toronto, ON
Cohen, A.J., Realizing Full Potential in North America. Commercial Passivhaus Construction Makes Sense, Ryerson University, November 2012, Toronto, ON
Cohen, A.J., Keynote Address, Passivhaus and Cost Optimization in the South, 1st Annual Symposium, Passive House New England, October 2012, Boston, MA
Cohen, A.J., Hickory Hall – a twin study in the making, 7th Annual National Passivhaus Conference, September 2012, Denver, CO
Cohen, A.J., A Return on Investment Model for Passivhaus, Harnessing innovation for Energy Efficient Construction, Virginia Tech Conference, May 2012, Roanoke, VA
Cohen, A.J., Realizing full potential in the US. Commercial Passivhaus makes sense, 16th Annual International Passivhaus Conference, May 2012, Hanover, Germany
Cohen, A.J., The Economics of Commercial Passivhaus Construction, Better Building Conference, April 2012, Dublin, Ireland
Cohen, A.J., An Introduction to Passivhaus Design Principles, Green Buildiing Council of northeast Ohio, April 2012, Cleveland, OH
Cohen, A.J., Passivhaus – The Next Step in High Performance Schools, Kentucky High Performance Schools Conference, March 2012, Louisville, KY
Cohen, A.J., HVAC Design Details of The Malcolm Rosenberg Center for Jewish Life, 6th Annual National Passive House Conference, Dec. 2011, Silver Spring, MD
Cohen, A.J., Current State of the Industry – Passivhaus Movement in the US, Association of Energy Conservation Professionals, Nov. 2011 Roanoke, VA
Cohen, A.J., Understanding and Quantification of “Green” Construction, State Meeting of the Virginia Appraisal Society, Sept. 2011, Roanoke, VA
Cohen, A.J., An Introduction to Commercial Passivhaus Design Principles, Passive House Conference Northwest, Sept. 2011, Seattle, WA
Cohen, A.J., Commercial Passivhaus Imperatives, Passive House Conference Northwest, Sept. 2011, Seattle, WA
Cohen, A.J., Construction and Monitoring of the First US Passivhaus Public School Building, 15th Annual International Passivhaus Conference, May 2011, Innsbruk, Austria
Cohen, A.J., Design and Construction of the Enter for Energy Efficient Design, National Solar Conference, May 2011, Raleigh, NC
Cohen, A.J., Real Life Lessons Learned, Construction The First US Passivhaus Public School, 5th Annual National Passive House Conference, Nov. 2010 Portland, OR
Cohen, A.J., Introduction to the Passivhaus Movement in the US, Association of Energy Conservation Professionals, Nov. 2010 Roanoke, VA
Cohen, A.J., Virginia’s Energy Balance and the Energy Efficiency of Structures, Governor’s Conference on Energy, Oct. 2010, Richmond, VA

Teaching Experience________________________________________
Certified Passive House Builders Training,

• Portland, OR 2016
• Yonkers, NY 2015
• Golden, CO 2015
• Newburgh, NY 2015
• Oklahoma City, OK 2015
• Waistfield, VT 2015
• Chicago, IL 2015
• Portland, OR 2014
• Baltimore, MD 2014
• Waistfield, VT 2014
• San Francisco, CA 2014
• Providence, RI, 2013
• Seattle, WA, 2013
• Golden, CO, 2013
• Philadelphia, PA, 2013
• Urbana, IL, 2012
  Advanced Commercial Passivhaus Design Principles,
• NESEA Conference, Boston, MA 2016
• NESEA Conference, Boston, MA 2015
• Passive House Conference Northwest, Portland, OR, 2014
• 8th Annual National Passive House Conference, Pittsburg, PA, 2014
• Ontario Association of Architects Annual Conference, Montreal, Quebec 2014
• 9th Annual National Passive House Conference, San Francisco, CA 2014
• NESEA Conference, Boston, MA 2013
• 7th Annual National Passive House Conference, Denver, CO, 2012
• Passive House New England’s Fall Symposium, 2012
• Passive House Conference Northwest, Seattle, WA, 2011
• 6th Annual National Passive House Conference, Silver Spring, MD, 2011
  Introduction to Commercial Passivhaus Design Principles,
• White Plains, NY 2015
• Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, 2012
• Virginia Polytechnic, Blacksburg, VA, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
  Introduction to Alternative Materials,
• Yestermorrow Design/Build School, Waitsfield, VT, 2012
  Designing & Building a Successful Design/Build Business,
• Yestermorrow Design/Build School, Waitsfield, VT 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
• 8th tAnnual National Passive House Conference, Pittsburg, PA, 2014
  Passivhaus Training for Multi-Family Developers,
• Philadelphia, PA 2016
• Pittsburgh, PA 2016
  Passivhaus Training for Regulators, Reviewers and Inspectors,
• Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, Harrisburgh, PA 2015
• New Jersey Housing Finance Agency, Trenton, NJ 2016

Other Experience________________________________________
Independent Grant Review for US Department of Energy, 2014, Commercial Building Technology Demonstrations, DE-FOA-0001084
Independent Grant Review for US Department of Energy, 2012, Energy Savings through Improved Mechanical Systems and Building Envelope Technologies, DE-FOA-0000621 Area 2.1 – High Performance Thermal Insulation
Independent Grant Review for US Department of Energy, 2012, Energy Savings through Improved Mechanical Systems and Building Envelope Technologies, DE-FOA-0000621 Area 2.2 – Advanced Roof/Attic Solutions
Independent Grant Review for US Department of Energy, 2012, Energy Savings through Improved Mechanical Systems and Building Envelope Technologies, DE-FOA-0000621 Area 2.3 – Highly Insulating Windows
Independent Grant Review for US Department of Energy, 2009, Recovery Act: Advanced Energy Efficient Building Technologies , DE-FOA-0000115 Area 3.1 – Window and Daylighting Technology Development
Independent Grant Review for US Department of Energy, 2009, Recovery Act: Advanced Energy Efficient Building Technologies , DE-FOA-0000115 Area 3.2 – Envelope Technology Development
Independent Grant Review for US Department of Energy, 2009, Recovery Act: Advanced Energy Efficient Building Technologies , DE-FOA-0000115 Area 3.3 – Building Envelope and Window Case Studies and Demonstrations
Independent Grant Review for US Department of Energy, 2009, Recovery Act: Advanced Energy Efficient Building Technologies , DE-FOA-0000115 Area 3.4 – Production Engineering for R5 and Higher Windows

Education________________________________________
Sep. 2012 Hygrothermal (WUFI) Trainer Cetification, Oak Ridge National Labs & Fraunhofer Institute of Building Physics, San Antonio, TX
Nov. 2011 European Certification, Passivhaus Institut, Darmstadt, Germany
Feb. 2011 Hygrothermal (WUFI) Advanced Training, Oak Ridge National Labs & Fraunhofer Institute of Building Physics, Napa, CA
Nov. 2010 Hygrothermal (WUFI) Basic Training, Oak Ridge National Labs & Fraunhofer Institute of Building Physics, New Orleans, LA
Oct. 2009 Passivhaus Training & North American Certification, Passive House Institute US, Urbana, IL
Jan. 2007 Earthcraft Training & Certification, Southface Institute, Atlanta, GA
May, 1984 B.S. Arch, University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Honors and Awards________________________________________
2014 USGBC LEED – Home of the Year
2013 Green Builder – Green Home of the Year – “Mainstream Green”
2012 Best Green Designer – Virginia Sustainable Building Network
2010 Cool Citizens Award – Best Green Business
2004 Grand Aurora Award – Best Commercial Office Construction
2004 Grand Aurora – Honor Award, Commercial Construction
2003 American Institute of Building Design – Honor Award, Commercial Construction
2003 American Institute of Building Design – Honor Award, New Residential Construction
2002 American Institute of Building Design – Honor Award, Residential Renovation
2002 American Institute of Building Design – Honor Award, Commercial Construction

Employment________________________________________
2012 – present Partner, Quantum Architects, LLC, Roanoke, VA
2011 – present Partner, Passiv Science, LLC, Roanoke, VA
2009 – present Founder & Technical Director Emeritus, Build Smart LLC, Roanoke, VA
1999 – 2015 Partner, Structures Design/Build, LLC, Roanoke, VA
1993 – 1999 Vice-President, Townside Construction, Roanoke, VA
1990 – 1993 Owner, Adam Cohen Computer Aided Design & Drafting, (ACADD) Roanoke, VA
1989 – 1990 Intern Architect, Frantz and Chappelear Architects, Roanoke, VA
1984 – 1989 Owner, Mountain Stone Works, Floyd, VA

Registrations & Certifications________________________________________
Architect – State of Maryland
Architect – State of Vermont
Architect – State of Colorado
Architect – State of New Hampshire
Certified Passivhaus Consultant – North America
Certified Passivhaus Consultant – Europe
LEED AP
Advanced Hygrothermal (WUFI)
Certified (WUFI) Hygrothermal Trainer
NAHB Green Builder

Professional Affiliations________________________________________
Passive House Institute – US
Passivhaus Institute – EU
US Green Building Council
National Association of Homebuilders
American Institute of Building Design

Volunteer Boards & Committees________________________________________
Board Member, Yestermorrow Design/Build School, 2015 – Present
Member, Roanoke Clean Valley Council, 2010 – 2014
Vice Chair, Renewable Energy and Electric Vehicle Association, 2008 – Present
Vice Chair, Founding Member, Technical Committee of the Passive House Institute US, 2010 – 2016