Thorsten Chlupp

Thorsten Chlupp is a project manager and researcher at NREL's Alaska Campus in Fairbanks. Prior to joining NREL in 2023, he operated REINA LLC as a licensed general contractor in Alaska and founded the full-service renewable energy company Arctic Sun LLC. He has collaborated with the Applied Research for Communities in Extreme Environments on building and energy projects for many years. He worked as a building science consultant, educator, designer, and builder with wide expertise in super-efficient and zero-energy design for cold climates and developed innovative methods of super-insulation, thermal storage, and integrated renewable energy systems, which enabled his projects to achieve unprecedented levels of performance. From zero net-energy and zero fossil-fuel residences and passive house commercial projects in Alaska’s interior to Living Building Challenge homes among the Aleutian Islands, Chlupp’s work has helped redefine sustainable building in the most challenging climates on earth. He lectures on Passive House, Zero Energy Design, and Sustainable Building approaches throughout the United States and overseas. From 2017 to 2021, he worked as the only foreign technical adviser, educator, and senior project manager for the construction of the Royal Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law of Bhutan, where he helped incorporate advanced building science and Passive House principles into the design and construction of the first ever law school in Bhutan–a 160,000-ft² campus in the mountains. The law school is now fully operational and has become a showcase for modern construction in the entire region.

Bau-biology, indoor air quality, and healthy homes

Environmental, energy, and climate justice

Embodied energy in buildings

Diffusion open building envelopes

Window technology and thermal shutters

Mechanical systems and automation

Solar design and thermal storage

Licensed general contractor with residential endorsement in Alaska

Building Energy Efficiency Standard

Passive House consultant

Technical Committee Passive House Institute U.S.

IAGBI-certified GREEN build professional

Alaska-certified erosion and sediment control lead