Passivhaus: The Greenest Building Standard?
Posted By Lloyd Alter On April 7, 2010 @ 2:00 pm In Sustainable Building | 7 Comments
The Passivhaus [4] has its roots in the USA in the seventies, when Amory Lovins [5] proposed super-insulated houses that could be warmed by a hair dryer. They caught on in Germany, where Passivhaus [6] became a standard that is being followed all over Europe. Now that building standard is coming to America.
[7]
It is really very simple: you pack in a s**tload of insulation, install very high-performance windows [8], seal it up tight as a drum and install a very good mechanical ventilation system so that you don’t suffocate.
[9]
They can be built in really cold climates, like this Passivhaus mountain hut in Austria [9]
[10]
Or They can be built in temperate climates, like the O’niell House in Sonoma, California [10]. It uses 70% less energy than a conventional northern California home. Treehugger has noted that we should forget energy star and LEED — the new green building standard is Passivhaus. [11]
The Passivhaus standard isn’t just for new construction, either; It can also be used for renovations, but it isn’t easy. [6] It is also being used for multifamily structures, like a proposed co-housing project in Brooklyn [12]. The New York Times gave it a great graphic explanation of how it works. [13] But not everyone is convinced that it is perfect; Alex Wilson of Greenbuilding.com thinks that it might be a bit inflexible for America [4].
Katrin Klingenberg, who brought the Passivhaus to America [14]and runs the Passive House Institute [15], uses the Anglicized term Passive House. I think, like the British, that we should keep the term Passivhaus as the descriptive word for the standard; passive design is becoming common, but is not the same thing. [16]
Lead photo: Ettel House
Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com
URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/passivhaus-the-greenest-building-standard/
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[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/passivhaus-the-greenest-building-standard/
[4] Passivhaus: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/04/passivhaus-too-rigid-for-america.php
[5] Amory Lovins: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/11/amory-lovins-named-one-of-americas-best-leaders.php
[6] Passivhaus: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/02/passivhaus-renovation-of-heritage-home.php
[7] Image: http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/04/07/passivhaus-the-greenest-building-standard/passivhaus-section/
[8] high-performance windows: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/11/greenbuild-serious-materials.php
[9] Image: http://www.treehugger.com/galleries/2010/01/go-passivhaus.php?page=1
[10] Image: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/03/passivhaus-comes-to-california.php
[11] forget energy star and LEED — the new green building standard is Passivhaus.: http://www.treehugger.com/galleries/2010/01/go-passivhaus.php
[12] proposed co-housing project in Brooklyn: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/06/brookyn-cohousing-passivhaus.php
[13] great graphic explanation of how it works.: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/passive-houses-explained.php
[14] brought the Passivhaus to America : http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/01/a_passiv_haus_i.php
[15] Passive House Institute: http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/PHIUSHome.html
[16] but is not the same thing.: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/passive-design-not-passive-house.php
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