A (Mostly) Passive Solar Greenhouse Design Workshop
A steady stream of curious Athabascans made their way to the Governing Council Chambers at the main campus of Athabasca University for our PSG (Passive Solar Greenhouse) design workshop on March 5, 2025.
There were many familiar faces from the previous workshops, which is fantastic to see and proves that many people in the Athabasca region are very interested in learning about ways to create a more resilient, localized food system.
Everyone powered up before the presentation on yummy soup, sandwiches, and baked treats from local favourite Baba Sue’s Catering!
Rob Avis - 5thWorld & Verge Permaculture
After a brief welcome by Athabasca Grown co-lead Cara Shan, the first presenter took to the podium.
Rob Avis is the Chief Engineering Officer at 5th World and co-founder of Verge Permaculture. He is also a leading expert in PSG design.
With a background in engineering and regenerative agriculture, he has “helped farmers and communities across Canada create resilient, energy-efficient food production systems.” His expertise in PSGs—tailored to cold climates—makes him an invaluable resource for exploring how this design can work in Athabasca.
His presentation introduced the difference between traditional greenhouses and passive solar greenhouse designs. He had some eye-opening data on how much energy conventional greenhouses use to grow in cold climates.
He described the elements that make a good PSG, gleaned from his years of trying various techniques on his builds. Now on his 5th iteration, he has a design that is rapidly constructed and addresses issues like moisture and excess heat.
He also shared with the crowd a few examples of passive solar greenhouses in communities where they benefited a wide range of community members, but must live up to the operational demands through whatever governance model they adopt.
He closed by discussing how PSGs could be integrated with other buildings to take advantage of waste heat and gather community.
The audience had some great questions for Rob about different designs, soil types and construction techniques.
Veronica Madonna - Athabasca University & Studio VMA Inc.
The following presentation, Designing w/ Place, was from Veronica Madonna, OAA, MAA, FRAIC. Veronica is an Associate Professor at Athabasca University and a Principal Architect at Studio VMA Inc. Veronica’s presentation covered what a regenerative framework in PSG design would look like, top priorities in building a PSG, some bio-regional materials to use and examples of community participation in building design.
Her information-rich presentation provided real-world examples from her professional career and her experience in Lesotho, Africa. There, a team from Athabasca University worked with the local community to build a daycare using participatory planning.
She closed by sharing some key values for success in community co-design: full participation, mutual understanding and respect, inclusive solutions and shared responsibilities.
The Community is Engaged!
The first question of the Q&A session was “Will there be a Passive Solar Greenhouse built in Athabasca?” No one ever said Athabascans aren’t direct! Dr. Mike Gismondi, Athabasca Grown co-lead answered by explaining the process of examining the feasibility through our workshops, and that he’s feeling positive about the feedback and engagement of the community so far!
His answer led to how Athabasca University could possibly be involved. Luckily Athabasca University President Alex Clark was in the audience and responded with a welcome to the audience and his own question “How can we be part of the amazing difference and making this happen?”
There were more great questions on building materials and storing heat underground. AU Professor Dr. Trevor Butler briefly explained earth tubes and their compatibility with passive energy building.
The evening wrapped up with Mike thanking the presenters and encouraging the audience to stay in touch with us and each other!
Thanks to our event partner Science Outreach - Athabasca for co-hosting and recording the event. You can watch the entire presentation on their YouTube channel:
What we heard from participants…
Further Reading
Passive Solar Greenhouse White Paper #1
Prepared by Rob Avis and team, it covers PSG design including climate battery technology with energy modelling.
The Benefits of Mass Timber Workforce Communities
By Veronica Madonna and Chantal Shahmooradian
Earth to Air Thermal Exchanger (EATEX) Design Principles and Concept Design Tool
Resources from the University of Minnesota on “Deep Winter Greenhouses”
Keep the Conversation Going
Join us for our next event: Greenhouse Business Innovation on April 8th!
The evening will feature former finance professional-turned-commercial passive solar greenhouse operator, Rob Lyle, who started greenshaus and is known locally as "The Lettuce Man." He grows hydroponic lettuce that sells in the local grocery stores and is eager to share his experience with others – down to the details of what it takes to run this business successfully.
We will also discuss how engaging the community in these operations can create lasting impacts, support local food systems, and drive community development.
To learn more about Athabasca Grown upcoming events, visit our Eventbrite Page.
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