3.34 Resilient and Affordable Zero Energy Homes with Joaquin Karcher

“The secret is cost shifting. That’s the secret. So we shift the cost from expensive mechanical systems into the quality of the building shell, of the building envelope. We have what we call a super-insulated building envelope. We have triple-glazed windows. We have insulated frames. They get installed in a certain fashion. And we basically take… we beef up the building envelope. it’s super-insulated that means insulation is cheap. Insulation is the cheapest building material on the planet. It’s much less expensive than batts. That’s really the issue.” - Joaquin Kar

Joaquin Karcher is a founder/owner/principal architect for Zero E Design based in Taos, New Mexico. The discussion centered on Joaquin’s expertise in eco-architecture and his work with Zero E Design, particularly focusing on cold climate architecture in northern New Mexico. Karcher shares his journey from his early passion for eco-architecture in Germany to his current projects, emphasizing the importance of achieving carbon neutrality in buildings by 2030. He highlighted his collaboration with the Navajo tribe to improve housing using local materials and labor, as well as his insights gained from the Passive House Institute in Germany. The conversation also delved into the principles of passive house design, its affordability in California, and the benefits of enhancing building envelopes to create energy-efficient homes.

Karcher discussed the resilience of passive houses in extreme weather and fire-prone areas, suggesting specific materials and techniques for safety. Although he has not yet worked on redesigning homes affected by wildfires, he expressed a vision for affordable, resilient zero energy buildings, particularly through offsite construction methods like panelized construction.