Passive House Architect Turns Insulation Manufacturer

GO Logic, an integrated architecture and construction firm, has made a name for itself by designing and building prefab homes, along with many Passive House certified projects. Now, a founder and principal architect behind GO Logic, Matthew O’Malia, is embarking on opening a new insulation company. Forbes sat down with the architect to discuss GO Logic and his new project. O’Malia says insulation is his next step because it is much more than an R-value, it affects those on the jobsite and the environment. His new wood fiber insulation will begin manufacturing in North America in 2022.

And I grew more concerned about an ideological contradiction: We were using insulation products heavily derived from or reliant on fossil fuels to reduce the amount of fossil fuel required to operate the buildings we were designing.  We were reducing operational energy, but canceling that out by using insulations that were high in embodied carbon.  It seemed like a zero-sum game, or worse, when it came to looking at the environmental impact associated with construction.  I began looking for other solutions.  

In 2016, I partnered with Josh Henry, current GO Lab President.  Josh holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry and Materials Science and has a deep background in advancing renewable energy and energy conservation technologies.  Together, we discovered that wood fiber insulation offered the high performance we desired, while checking all the other boxes on our list.  

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