The GO Logic Home designed by architect Matthew O’Malia is a Passive House built with Structural Insulated panels and a timber frame
Photo courtesy of Trent Bell for Prefabulous and Almost Off the Grid, published by Abrams
People in the United States as well as many around the world are becoming more conscious of our dwindling resources and global warming. CA was the first State in the US to make solar panels on new houses a requirement; by January 1, 2020. Using energy created by the sun is a great solution. However before homeowners consider creating energy, they should build houses that need less energy. One of the standards that helps builders and architects to develop houses that need less energy is Passive House or Passivhaus.
This program was first developed in Germany and is quickly becoming a standard in many parts of the world, including the United States. Whereas other important standards, such as (LEED), focus on many environmentally friendly aspects of the home, such as site location, sustainability, materials, water efficiency and so on, Passive House (PH) only focuses on energy and ventilation. Although other environmental issues were not part of the certification process, most Passive Houses include other environmentally friendly aspects.
This Passive House is located on the San Juan Islands in Washington State. It was designed by Tessa Smith and Randy Foster of The Artisans Group and built using panelized walls and a modular core.
Photo courtesy of Art Gray for Prfabulous and Almost Off The Grid, published by Abrams
Energy consumption for space heating and cooling in a PH is designed to save approximately 75 percent of the entire energy used in a typical building. The requirements for certification are stringent and specify maximum heat and cooling demand, total primary energy consumption, and a maximum leakage of air volume per hour at 50 Pascal pressure, which is measured with a blower door test. Passive houses are designed with super-insulation, high performance windows, an airtight building shell and the use of an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) to exchange the interior air with fresh outside air. Since PHs are so airtight, ventilation is needed to keep the air fresh and healthy inside the house. While some PHs include active solar systems to reduce the need for fossil fuel, many PHs do not include them. These houses are built with a primary goal, to limit the need for energy.
This panelized/timber frame Passivhaus house in London, England was designed by bere:architects. This house became the first certified Passivhaus in London, setting a new standard for energy efficient design with comfort and high indoor air quality.
Photo courtesy of Tim Crocker for Prefabulous World, published by Abrams
Over the years of writing about home construction, I’ve seen a gradual increase in PH built homes, built with environmentally friendly materials and beautiful design. Many of these houses are built prefab helping to alter the preconception of prefab and energy efficient as being unattractive.
It is often assumed that being very energy efficient has to also cost a great deal more than the typical house. However, I have found many examples of more modest priced houses that are certified PH. The Art House, in VT (seen below) was built by Habitat for Humanities on a meager budget and is certified PH. Several other houses I’ve profiled over the years were also built on limited budgets, such as the GO Logic in Maine and Island Passive House in WA State (seen above).
This modular Passive House was designed by Architect JB Clancy and Energy Consultant Peter Schneider. This is the first Certified Passive House for Habitat for Humanity in the country and the first modular Passive House in the country.
Photo courtesy of Philip Jensen-Carter for Prefabulous and Almost Off the Grid, published by Abrams
There are currently over thirty thousand houses built to this standard, which is likely to increase as energy costs continue to rise and people become more concerned about the reality of global warming. Many homeowners will choose to build their houses to PH standards because they are attractive, can be built in a wide range of climates and are affordable. For more information on Passive Houses, check the web site of The International Passive House Association, the North America Passive House Network and/or the Passive House Institute US
Forbes