Check out a beautiful project from across the Tasman, the Owl Woods Passive House. It’s the 10th certified Passive House in Victoria, Australia and it’s won or still a finalist for a host of design and sustainability awards. Check out photos here; there are even a few construction photos, which are always my favourites. The Passive House Database entry will satisfy …
Great Passive House primer (includes eye candy and clear diagrams!)
This is a lovely summary of Passive House, written up as a Q&A with an American architect. There’s mention of an intriguing North American connection to the genesis of Passive House which you may not be aware of, some appealing images of various Passive Houses (I’m loving the Brussels home) plus some excellent diagrams illustrating the five basic principles. All …
Passive House (Passivhaus) Hospitals
Passive House Hospitals can have a 40-50% reduction in total energy use of the building, using efficient technologies already available, when compared to a conventional new hospital building. I’ve been encouraged by questions from various health boards and government here in NZ to provide information and connect them to the designers of the Passive House Hospital in Frankfurt (Passive House …
Homeschooling resources (for adults and kids)
At-home learning seems set to continue for a while; for those raising the next generation of building geeks/scientists/informed homeowners, here are some resources that might be useful, compiled by the UK Passivhaus Trust: “Shout-out to all the parents and guardians entertaining and expanding pupils’ minds at home. Many within the construction industry and science sectors are rising to the challenge …
Social housing can be this good
Exeter, in England’s south-west, is blazing a trail for Passive House social housing. Its Chester Long Court, 26 high-quality, affordable homes built to the Passive House standard, has won design awards (along with, I expect, abiding appreciation from those who live in them). The Council’s goal was to create apartments for their over-60s social housing tenants. By downsizing, larger Council homes …
How much more for PH performance? Very little, says UK
This extensive cost study of Passive House projects in the UK shows that for projects that make good choices, the capital cost premium is down to eight per cent. At scale, that premium is projected to drop to four per cent: “The [Passive House] standard in the UK can be achieved now for a modest extra-over cost and this is …
New England delivers PH social housing
Here’s an excellent discussion of the overall benefits to the tenants of this social housing project for low-income tenants in a high-cost area. It’s a six-story building with 98 units in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Plus, it spells out the benefits to society of building right. “In each case, the goal is to give heating and cooling systems very little to do. …
uPVC joinery worth another look
Clients (and their designers) who want high-performance buildings on a limited budget need to consider uPVC windows. Elsewhere, almost every Passive House on a budget will use uPVC joinery, typically white inside and out to maximise performance and minimise cost. Note though that uPVC windows are also available with an aluminium cladding on the exterior face to allow a choice …
Airtightness, explained (plus, see blower doors in action)
Check out these helpful instructional videos on airtightness and air leakage testing. Made in Australia, the general observations about lack of awareness of the importance of airtightness apply here too. This series of three short videos (less than seven minutes each) is produced by Efficiency Matrix, a supplier of products and testings for airtightness. The first video is absolutely worth …