May 17, 2022
Cassandra Gillespie

Making Passive House Possible: BS* & Beer

Building the Passive House Community in Kansas City

We hosted another BS* & Beer at the Beacon Hill High Performance Home this month. Joe Nickels and David Hawkins presented on the ins and outs of making Passive House possible. 


The Beacon Hill home is
Phius Design Certified and is on track to reach full certification upon completion. 


The path to Passive House requires full commitment from start to finish from all parties involved: the builder, the client, the subs, the architect. The team has to be prepared to make adjustments along the way as things come up in the build process. 


For the Beacon Hill home, we encountered a few situations that we were required to address as a team to maintain our path to certification. Joe and Hawkins discussed thermal bridging associated with the second floor overhang, air leakage through the ductwork, and window selection among a variety of other high performance features throughout the home. 


The event was well attended and well enjoyed by all! Continue following along with Kala as we approach the finish line. We are eager to share the finished product.

More on the blog

Modern home exterior with wood siding, black roof, deck, and outdoor seating.
By Cassandra Gillespie September 10, 2025
Though they enjoyed living in a house in the historic Brookside neighborhood, Kyle and Elizabeth decided they wanted to build a new home that used high-performance features to deliver better durability, health, sustainability, and comfort.
Steel bar set in foundation footings with capillary break applied to footings
By Cassandra Gillespie July 8, 2025
The main purpose of building code is to ensure a home doesn't burn down, fall down, or suffer catastrophic failure to its main systems - not to ensure durability.
A modern style kitchen with large windows, high ceilings, and a large island in the center.
By Cassandra Gillespie June 13, 2025
Of all the things that can damage a home, water is by far the most pervasive and destructive. And when we say water, we don’t just mean the water that falls from the sky as rain.