Category: Awards & Accolades

Energy Efficiency made Simple

New Federal Tax Credit dollars for energy efficient construction

There’s some interesting changes going on at the Department of Energy: The new 45L provisions include two tiers of credits, with the higher credits for eligible homes and dwelling units certified to applicable ZERH program requirements. The Inflation Reduction Act 45L credit is $1,000 for apartment dwelling units that are part of a building eligible to…
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“Beautifully designed and beautifully built”

“Beautifully designed and beautifully built” This laneway housing project, designed by BSN Architects, received a SAB Award for small residential category (2021). Local Impact Design was Passive House Consultant, energy modeler and structural/HVAC engineer. The project is exemplary in a number of ways, proving the concept of pre-fab + Passive House + net zero energy.…
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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…
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Prefabricated and Factory Built

With demand for Passive House-quality panels and modules on the rise, the factories producing these goods are expanding in number, capacity, and production. Most are new businesses producing Passive House-performance exterior wall, floor, and roof panels. Yet a strong contingent of existing businesses are also growing their product lines to include higher-performance, thermal-bridge-free Passive House…
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Video: Tim McDonald on Making Multifamily Passive House a Reality

This presentation was recorded on October 8th, 2019 for the Passive House Rocky Mountian monthly online roundtable, a regular event typically on the first Tuesday featuring a wide range of speakers and topics related to Passive House and low carbon buildings. The goal of Zero Carbon Multifamily starts with Passive House Tim McDonald is the President and…
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BuildSMART-Building-SMART-Build-SMART-J-Form-Underslab-Insulation-Vapor-Barrier-Gravel-Bed-and-concrete-slab-on-grade-contractor-Horizontal-Wing-Insulation-high-performance-wall-panel-building-envelope-E-Wall-buildsmartna.com-Passive-House-energy-efficiency-net-zero-J-Form-insulated-permanent-shallow-foundation-Form-System-prefabrication-prefab-modular-construction-Developer-Architect-Builder-Homeowner-Exterior-Wall-Panel-Interior-Frame-Walls-Single-Family-Multifamily-Senior-Living-Assisted-Care-Daycare-Clinic-Student-Living-School-Office-Hospitality-Mixed-Use-Slab-On-Grade-Crawl-Space-Basement-Piers-Column-Walk-Out-Basement-Energy-Star-LEED-WELL-Living-Building-Challenge-FORTIFIED-Thermal-Efficiency-Labor-Savings-Low-risk-air-barrier-and-very-low-infiltration-rates-severe-weather-survivability-sound-attenuation-and-a-quiet-secure-feeling-inside-low-cost-of-ownership-optimized-construction-cost-and-operation-cost-total-cost-of-ownership-optimized-cash-flow-and-return-on-investment-construction-drawings-Floor-Plans-scale-and-dimension- Elevations-Wall-Section-Window-Door-Schedule-Section Details-Lender-Structural Engineer-MEP Engineer-Energy Modeler-Energy-Rater-Resilience-zero-carbon-Panelized-Passive-House-Multifamily-Prefabricated-Modular-Offsite-construction-Off-site-construction-Code-comparison-Financial-analysis-Return-on-investment-ROI-Internal-rate-of-return-IRR-Real-estate-valuation-Cash-flow-Pro-forma-Financial-terms-in-attached-documents-Noise-Sound-proofing-NIMBY-Health-Covid-19-Ventilation-Section-8-Voucher-program-Build-to-Rent-All-AIA-education-credits-Health-Safety-Welfare-credits-HSW-NIMBY-Covid-19-Ventilation-Noise-Soundproofing

Parade Street housing facilities hosts ribbon cutting

The $12-million-dollar Parade Street affordable housing project, which uses The Build SMART System, in Erie’s East Side is complete! The Parade Street Commons East is located just off of Parade Street between East 19th and 20th Streets. This new addition of housing gives families with low to moderate income another option of somewhere to live.…
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Congratulations KG!

#BuildSMARTna#construction#panelization#Prefabrication#affordability#singlefamily#multifamily#highperformancewallpanel#EnergyEfficiency#QualityOfLife#HealthyLiving

7.3 Million Homes at Risk of 2019 Hurricane Storm Surge Damage with $1.8 Trillion in Potential Reconstruction Costs, According to CoreLogic Report

CORELOGIC, the CoreLogic logo, RQE and PXPoint are trademarks of CoreLogic, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. CoreLogic® (NYSE: CLGX), a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today released its 2019 CoreLogic Storm Surge report, which shows more than 7.3 million single- and multifamily homes along the…
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Hankin Lecture highlights small shifts to create big changes in housing industry

Original Story Published On Penn State News by Rachel Fawcett UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Timothy McDonald, president and co-founder of Onion Flats LLC in Philadelphia, will deliver the 2019 Hankin Distinguished Lecture, titled “Leverage Points: Climate Change and the Imperative of Affordable Housing,” at 4 p.m. Nov. 13 in the HUB-Robeson Center’s Freeman Auditorium at…
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Wondering why Build SMART is doing so many projects in Pa. for pioneer design/builder Tim McDonald? This is it!

Architect Laura Nettleton is standing in a former classroom in a 120-year-old elementary school that she helped turn into one of the most energy-efficient apartment buildings in Pittsburgh. She is talking, metaphorically, about coats. Her coat — stylish and black with wide sleeves and an open collar — is the old way of building: thinly…
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