Christi's Bio:
Christi has been at Design Coalition since 2008. She has a Masters in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and, since 2005, has been a LEED AP (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional). During the summer of 2011, she also completed a 9-day training to become a Certified Passive House Consultant during the summer of 2011. (See below for a description of the Passive House standard.) Christi's passion is for community-based, sustainable design that is carefully woven into the existing environment, creating places that are both delightful and enriching.

The Passive House standard originated from the Passivhaus Institute in Germany. Translated from German, it means passive building, implying the fact that the strategy can be used in both residential and commercial applications. Broadly described, the Passive House method is an integrated approach that uses high levels of insulation, excellent windows & doors, and rigorous attention to air-sealing details coupled with a carefully designed, energy-efficient ventilation system (plus a tiny heating system in cold climates such as ours in the upper mid-west). The result is a building that provides above average indoor air quality and thermal comfort and uses up to 90% less energy for space heating than a typical building built to code. This high level of energy efficiency coupled with a modest amount of on-site renewables such as photovoltaics puts Passive House buildings in close reach of achieving net-zero energy usage.