Congratulations to Designer Nita Tjahjana, PIVOT Architecture’s newly-certified passive house consultant!

In receiving the certification from the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS), a non-profit promoting high-performance passive buildings, Nita has honed her ability to design more sustainable facilities.

In the process of earning this certification, Nita learned the principles of passive building and trained using passive modeling techniques. Nita and PIVOT Designer Clay Neal, who is also passive house certified, use this knowledge to design more sustainable projects.

“I am just always curious about building technology and to learn more about the different metrics of how to make buildings more efficient,” Nita said. “It is one way of approaching sustainability and I have always liked when things are quantifiable.”

PHIUS+ provides design and construction standards ensuring sustainable quality assurance. Buildings meeting PHIUS+ standards use 40-60 percent less energy and provide high indoor air quality along with a quiet, comfortable environment.

Alison Kwok, an architecture professor at the UO, urged Nita to pursue certification with her systematic in approach to design.

As the tumultuous year winds down and 2021 quickly approaches, we find ourselves reflecting. Despite the remote work learning curve and other challenges, we managed to meet milestones for projects as near as Eugene and as far away as Seattle. We’ve also been fortunate enough to land important new work, small and large, to solidify our prospects heading into the new year. Here are some of our observations:

• • The strength and resilience of our community in times of crisis is awe inspiring.
  • We can still practice architecture remotely, just with friendly “you’re muted” reminders.
  • After months stuck at home, we realized how precious our light-filled, cheery office really is.
  • We can work just fine without printing as much.
  • On Zoom, people can’t see our lower half—hooray for sweatpants and slippers at work!
  • Masks are a way to help protect but can also be a creative outlet.
  • Connecting in person with our team on a camping trip and outdoor field games was made more special.
  • We’re hooked on homemade sourdough.
  • Our dogs love us being home. Cats, not so much.
  • We dearly miss our coworkers, our community, and connections we make as humans.
  • Living in an area surrounded by such natural beauty is wonderous.
  • More time at home with our families and daily lunch dates with our spouses is something to cherish.