Announcing the 2023 IceBox Challenge Colorado Tour

The Ice Box Challenge is a public installation event that demonstrates the power of Passive House design and construction and will take place in Fort Collins, Louisville, and Denver over the course of this summer.

The Passive House Network (PHN), a CGBG Non-Profit Affiliate Member, along with local PHN chapter, Passive House Rocky Mountains, announced three new Ice Box Challenge events, to take place in:

  • Fort Collins, July 1-15

  • Louisville, July 28-August 11

  • Denver, September 9-23

The Ice Box Challenge is a public installation event that demonstrates the power of Passive House design and construction by comparing two similar structures, one built to typical code standards and the other to the rigorous Passive House standard.

CGBG is proud to announce our collaboration with The Ice Box Challenge events. CGBG Board and Sponsor members will be represented at all scheduled events.

“By physically comparing the performance of our typical buildings, with high-performance Passive House construction, people can viscerally experience building science in action,” said local Fort Collins architect Greg Fisher, a leader of Passive House Rocky Mountains and event co-organizer. “There is something about seeing how the ice reacts to the heat, in each case - it’s public education that makes it real.”

For each event, the two boxes will be placed in public, exposed to the heat of the summer. At the opening kick-off ceremony, both boxes will be filled with 1 ton of ice.

The public can participate in the contest by submitting their best guess for the final weight of the ice in each box, for prizes.

“Guessing the ultimate weight difference is a compelling way to get people to think about the science, the details and strategies that drive performance,” explains Jessica Hunter, a Denver architect and a long-time leader of the Colorado Green Building Guild. Adding, “Why does one building perform so much better than the other? It’s a conversation we need to have.”

At each stop on the tour, over the two weeks, there will be educational events and the public can visit, witness, and learn about the Passive House building standard.

At the end of two weeks, at each location, there will be a reveal ceremony, the final weights determined, and a discussion of how such performance can help us all build better.

“Building for future resilience means building to performance standards like Passive House; well insulated and airtight, keeping out the heat or cold and smoke,” said Mark Attard, a local builder at Hammerwell, and CGBG Sponsor, whose home narrowly escaped the Marshall Fire. “We can do this.”

The Ice Box Challenge is being conducted in coordination with The Passive House Network’s annual national conference, happening online September 28 and in Denver at the McNichols Civic Center Building October 4-5.

Find out more about the Ice Box Challenge 2023 Tour here: https://passivehousenetwork.org/ice-box-challenge/

CGBG