Meet Sloan Ritchie.
Have you met Sloan Ritchie? If you haven't, let me introduce you.
Sloan is taking environmentally-friendly design to the next level in the Seattle area.
A lifelong Seattle resident and renowned local homebuilder, Sloan has dedicated his career to building energy-efficient homes. His work is notorious for paving the way for Seattle’s first multi-unit, energy-efficient “Passive House” known as Pax Futura.
Sloan is the founder and developer at his company, Cascade Built, and serves as a local leader in Passive House and Net-Zero construction techniques. His long-term goals include putting Seattle on the map as a hot spot for this design method, and working towards more sustainable building practices.
SEATTLE'S FIRST PASSIVE HOUSING PROJECT - PAX FUTURASloan Ritchie strived to reach Net Zero (meaning the building produces as much energy as it uses) with Pax Futura, he knew tackling hot water, the largest single consumer of energy on the project was critical. A grant from Edwards Mother Earth Foundation (EMEF) provided Pax Futura with the funds to install a solar hot water system to serve the entire building, reducing the energy used to heat water for showers, laundry, and dishwashing by 75%. The success of the system demonstrates the scalability of the technology and offers a proven solution for widespread adoption to further curb fuel consumption by buildings.
Embracing a simple, modern design, Pax Futura’s dynamic façade combines a neutral color palette with accents of metal canopies and signage, as well as sliding wood screen elements. The shared courtyard welcomes residents and activates the east façade with circulation, bench overlooks, and vertical landscape, and the sliding screen elements, which shield units from west-facing solar exposure, keeping units cool during warm months.
Recently I had the opportunity to catch up with Sloan and learn more about his Passive Housing and eco-friendly design. Here’s a look into our conversation…
Tadashi: For those who may not be familiar, what is science-based building?
Sloan: Most projects are built to minimum energy and building codes, with no thought given to building science. Building science is the why behind how certain portions of the building are assembled. For example, many decades ago, it was common practice to insert a layer of plastic to keep moisture out of the wall assembly, however, this led to moisture accumulation and wall rot in many cases. Understanding building science and how vapor moves through walls and buildings is important in order to build durable resilient structures. Before insulation was used, for example, this was a lot less relevant, as warm interior air simply flowed right through the walls to the outside, requiring constant reheating of the space, and in the process drying out the building components. However, since energy is a limited resource, and drafty buildings are uncomfortable, there’s a better way.
Modern sustainable buildings that focus on using a lot less energy must pay attention to the details, such as how to remove stale or moist air, provide fresh air for occupants, and use low levels of energy for heating & cooling. Understanding science and thermodynamics, even just the basics, is key to building durable structures.
Tadashi: What is a sustainable building concept that you think will see more attention in 2022?
Sloan: Energy recovery ventilator (ERVs) and ventilation. Between the pandemic and the annual wildfires, ventilation is a key topic. ERVs can deal with both of these problems and provide occupants with fresh filtered air at all times, as well as reduce the extra heat that standard buildings waste.
Tadashi: Why do you think air quality is going to be an important part of building in the future?
Sloan: Sadly, wildfires are getting worse. And pandemics. People care about the air they breathe. Living in a Passive House building means no wildfire smoke inside since it’s airtight and the ventilation fresh air is filtered.
Tadashi: What should investors look for when partnering with a builder on projects?
Sloan: Value alignment, relevant experience, and the right team.
Tadashi: How do you create value for stakeholders in your project
Sloan: By building now what investors and tenants will be demanding in the future, we are creating value that present and future stakeholders want. In 2030 when the codes catch up to what we’re building now, our buildings will compete well with everything else that’s been built over the next 8 years. Building the future now. Plus we’ll have built it for cheaper than what it will cost in 2030.
Tadashi: How do your projects rent for 19% above market average?
Sloan: We only operate 2 buildings as of right now, but they are better than their peers in terms of design, features, and benefits, and as a result demand a premium.
Tadashi: What is the best quality in an investor or business partnership, in your experience?
Sloan: Value alignment, trust, experience. It’s all about the people.
Tadashi: What role do you think the new building codes will play in sustainable housing?
Sloan: They aren’t stringent enough in my view, but they are getting better over time. The big question is whether the market will pull or the codes will push this to happen. I think the codes are a better path forward (all players build to the same standard).
Tadashi: Is there a home feature that you think we will see more of in future blueprints?
Sloan: ERVs.
Tadashi: Any exciting projects on the horizon or Cascade Built news you want to share?
Sloan: 24&U, which is in construction now, and a 71 unit in Capitol Hill by the light rail station, which is in permitting now. Both Passive House certified, and both with assistance from Tadashi (3rd party verification, and broker).
Tadashi: Take me back to when we first met!
Sloan: I met Tadashi in around 2009 or so, and distinctly remember him cruising around on his Segway. Since then, we have worked together on many sustainable residential townhome and apartment projects over the years. He’s been an inspiration to myself and many in the green building world in the Pacific Northwest and has operated multiple companies to serve the industry in various ways. Evergreen Certified has been the 3rd party verifier for many of our projects for more than a decade. We learn from Tadashi and their team about how to better execute sustainable measures on every project. He’s also a broker who can source/acquire land for development.
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