Entrepreneurial Scale Up:
A Q&A with Building Wellness founder Karen Ramsey
October 2025 | Back to Powerhouse Post
Building Wellness is a Resilient Built Environment Advisory firm based out of the Resident Enterprise Partners Zone (REPZ).
Located on the 4th floor of the Powerhouse Energy Campus, the REPZ was specifically structured to support entrepreneurial scale-up with flexible lease terms and access to on-site research facilities. The move-in-ready office space is reserved for technology/innovation startups and mission-aligned organizations.
Tell us about Building Wellness
After more than 20 years in design and construction, I founded Building Wellness as a Resilient Built Environment Consulting firm focused on advancing high-performance, low-carbon design and construction.
We partner with architects, builders, and homeowners to provide Passive House consulting, energy modeling, and carbon/cost analysis, helping project teams make informed decisions that balance performance, budget, and environmental impact.
At its core, Building Wellness is about creating buildings that are efficient, resilient, and healthy for people and the planet.
Your firm specializes in working with building materials that most people aren’t familiar with, like straw-panels. Tell us about those.
EcoCocon, which you have a sample of in the Powerhouse lobby, is a mechanically-packed prefab structural straw-panel system. It turns renewable, natural materials into durable wall assemblies.
Each panel consists of 98% renewable content and engineered for precision and ease of assembly. EcoCocon straw panels sequester carbon from the atmosphere while delivering exceptional thermal performance (R-52) making them a natural fit for Passive House and other advanced sustainability standards.
In addition, these panels are extremely fire resistant due to the silica content of straw that chars when heated and creates a barrier that fire cannot burn through. EcoCocon has a 2-hour fire rating, but has proven to withstand fire for over 4 hours with no damage to the interior side of the panel. Great for homes in the Rocky Mountain Region where we have seen an increase in wildfires in recent years.
Why did you choose the Powerhouse Resident Enterprise Partners Zone for your office space?
I chose the Powerhouse Resident Enterprise Partners Zone because it aligns perfectly with my work at Building Wellness, where I focus on advancing low-carbon, high-performance building practices. The Powerhouse community brings together innovators in clean energy, sustainability, and the built environment; an ideal ecosystem for collaboration, research, and impact.
