SESSION three
The case for Passive Building in hot and humid climates.
Stefan Goebel, Co-Founder & Consultant, Build Zero Consulting
Co-Founder of Build Zero Consulting, German-native Stefan Goebel, a certified Passive House Consultant since 2017, LEED Green Associate, Building Science Principle, has extensive knowledge in building science and experience in consulting on high performance building projects. Stefan has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering from the University of Applied Science in Cologne, Germany and has taught as adjunct lecturer for construction technologies and passive building design at the City College of New York with focus on “Passive House Design and Energy Efficient Glass Technologies. An introduction to Passive House Design and building physics.’’ between 2018 and 2019. He feels strongly about the ever increasing need for energy efficiency and sustainability in buildings and is working towards furthering the passive house movement in the US in his capacity as Principal of Build Zero Consulting and as Vice President of the Passive House Houston chapter.
Ryan Abendroth, Lead Consultant and Co-Founder, Build Zero Consulting
Co-Founder of Build Zero Consulting, Ryan Abendroth is a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC). He has worked exclusively on low and zero energy projects since 2009 and feels strongly about the ever-increasing need for energy efficiency in buildings and has worked toward furthering the passive house movement as he believes in its ability to transform the conversation about the built environment in the United States.
Ryan holds a Master of Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His design education and research focused on energy efficiency and building science, which led to a thesis entitled ”A Critical Analysis of the Passive House Standard for the Climates of the United States.” This thesis helped lay the groundwork for the PHIUS+2015 Standard and the Building America Study which developed it.
He has been working on passive building projects since 2009, including working at the Passive House Institute US (Phius) as the certification manager from 2009-2013. Since 2011, he has been an instructor for the Phius’ Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC) Curriculum as well as Phius training courses on WUFI Modeling, Advanced Single Family, Advanced Multi-family, Phius Certification, and THERM, among others. In 2012, he was a founding member of the Phius Technical committee.
Additionally, Ryan is a Senior Lecturer in the Sam Fox School of Design in Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis where he teaches Architecture Design Studios and seminars with a foucs on zero energy building practices and fabrication.
As a passive house practitioner, Ryan is one of the most experienced, versatile consultants who has worked in many different climates, project types, and with many different types of clients from design professionals to building owners. His work includes the first Phius Certified projects in Kansas, Indiana, Missouri, and New Mexico.
Imagine If: Green Infrastructure Revolution
Lauren Rochell, RA/LEED/WELL AP, Architect / Sr. Sustainability Associate, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems
Lauren’s passion lies in the anthropological offerings of architecture and sustainability, with her work spanning many disciplines: natural building, building systems research, and climate relief efforts. She has researched, designed and constructed in Brazil, Italy, Mexico, and US and lectured in Brazil, Canada, and the US. During studies at Tufts and UT Austin, Lauren was awarded a sustainability fellowship, professional development award, and travel scholarship. Lauren coordinates green building certification and collaborates with numerous local non-profits and design firms, seeking ways to incorporate vernacular, minimally processed, healthy materials into contemporary urban environments.
Pliny Fisk, Co-Director, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems
Pliny Fisk III co-founder/co-director, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, Austin, TX. With a background in architecture, landscape architecture, and systems sciences, Pliny has made pivotal contributions developing policies, protocols, and prototypes. He challenges conventional wisdom about building system design, engineering, materials. He has received: UN Earth Summit Award, USGBC’s Sacred Tree Award, American Solar Energy Society’s Passive Solar Pioneer Award; advised the MacArthur, Gates, Enterprise Foundations; served on GSA’s National Registry for Design Excellence peer review program. Pliny is Emeritus Professor at Texas A&M. His biography, Pliny Fisk III: Creating a Maximum Potential Future, was published by Ecotone.
Born on the Bayou: A multi-scalar transdisciplinary approach to water resilience and justice in Houston
Carolyn White, Resilience Manager, Harris County Flood Control District
Carolyn White is Resilience Manager for the Harris County Flood Control District. Her work focuses on uplifting vulnerable communities and natural infrastructure needs. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology from Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota and a master’s degree in landscape architecture/environmental planning from University of California – Berkeley. She completed all 4 levels of Wildland Hydrology Natural Channel Design courses and is a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner and a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control.
Kyle Anderson, Associate Planner, Asakura Robinson
Kyle is an Associate Planner at Asakura Robinson who is driven to explore the intersection of community capacity, ecological restoration, and green design to pursue more substantively sustainable modes of life. They seek to better understand the relationship between communities and their environment, and to equip cities and community organizations with the tools, strategies, and support necessary to foster resilient, adaptable communities capable of maintaining a high quality of life in the face of a changing climate. They bring expertise about nature-based solutions and sustainable building, planning, and design alongside experience working alongside community leaders to foster greater collective impact.
Kelli Ondracek, Natural Resources Manager, City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department
Natural Resources Manager with experience in habitat restoration, wildlife, environmental consulting, scientific data collection, management and analysis, wetland delineation, permitting, project management and personnel oversight.
Kourtney Revels, Water Justice Organizer, Bayou City Waterkeeper
Kourtney Revels is a community organizer and education justice advocate who works tirelessly for equity in underserved communities. She is based in Northeast Houston, where she advocates for infrastructural improvements to drainage systems, equitable distribution of resources, and disaster preparedness, with the Northeast Action Collective. Kourtney, a mother, champions for improvements to the public education system, while also educating people on the intersectionality between environmental and education justice. She lives and works on the fence line and seeks to bring awareness and solutions to vulnerable communities.
Currently, Kourtney is the Water Justice Organizer for Bayou City Waterkeeper, serves on the board of directors of West Street Recovery, and works as an Advocate for Public Education with Community Voices for Public Ed. A native Houstonian, Kourtney looks forward to engaging, educating, and supporting the diverse communities of Houston fairly and equitably through her water justice advocacy.
