PINE HALL:
WHEATON UNIVERSITY'S PASSIVE HOUSE DORM
It’s 9 PM. Scott St. Aubin, the Pine Hall construction project superintendent, is preparing to hunt for potential envelope air leaks. He anticipates forthcoming PHIUS envelope tests and knows it's easiest to find possible air leaks on an empty site. He waits until the rest of the team leaves for the day. Then, he is ready to do his work, armed with a smoke machine, a lifetime of carpentry training, and a colleague to assist.
Drawing on the experience gleaned from building previous passive house structures, Scott knows where the highest risk areas are for air leakage. He searches the building for signs of the stage smoke, and with quick precision, seals them tight.
Passive house standards are rigorous when it
comes to air leakage and efficiency. They calculate the standard using CFM (cubic feet per minute – the rate at which air flows past a point). To achieve a PHIUS rating, a passive house must achieve 2,500 CFM. To put that into perspective, a typical house leaks about 7,000-8,000 CFM. Based on the design criteria, Pine Hall will be 70% more energy-efficient than standard buildings.
Scott thrives on passive house building challenges. He’s developed strategies to address every facet of passive house construction. And where some construction managers may take weeks to identify and plug all the major air leaks, Scott solves problems in hours. He finds solutions and manages tight schedules to ensure the project is delivered on time.
