Passive House
Passive House Conference 2016 NYC
Sawkill Lumber joined with Menck Windows at the North American Passive House Conference 2016. The intersection of reclaimed woods – a certifiable ‘passive’ forest product – and energy efficient windows, was a triple-pane window made with reclaimed Redwood (salvaged from dismantled vinegar tanks), supplied by Sawkill Lumber and manufactured at the Menck Windows facility in the U.S.; just three hrs north of NYC in Chicopee, MA. Thanks to Menck for their leap into the process and putting the salvaged wood through their state-of-the-art milling equipment. Their acceptance of what’s otherwise a clear ‘defect’ in the wood was certainly stretched on this one. A remarkably technical, beautiful and uber-sustainable window emerged. The first one was installed at a Brooklyn passive house on the opening day of the conference.
Old Doors, Young Kids
Duct Blaster!
David White employs the ‘Duct Blaster’, checking for leaks in the ventilation system (installed by Alexander Sanchez of A C + H). The numbers were on target, with the the blaster – looking like something on loan from NASA – registering under 5% leakage.
Reclaimed redwood From Klaas armster
Turning wine into windows. Klaas Armster inspects the reclaimed wine tank Redwood at Strout Millwork that is being prepared for the Passive House windows by Menck.
What goes with wood? Paint colors and reclaimed.
Annie Coggan, an interior designer (Coggan and Crawford), and professor at local Pratt Institute, works with a selected range of neutral colors against the skip planed antique Pine in the attic space. With the floors chosen or installed, paint colors came into play. While there are no hard and fast rules on color and reclaimed woods, Annie inter-changed a restrained (passive?) palette of neutral colors for each room, helping to reflect or throw more light around the space, create mood, define volume and frame the floors “…the woods are the diva”, she says.