Slides from a CPD webinar presented for the NZIA 5 things to know about Passive House The Passive House Standard Passive House Design Passive House in NZ so far UK large scale examples The Benefits of Passive House

1. Introduction to
Passive House
for Architects

2. Elrond Burrell
UK Registered Architect
Certified Passive House Designer
Board member Passive House Institute NZ
http://via-architecture.net

3. VIA architecture
Specialise exclusively in Passive House
Design: Passive House buildings
Consult: to other architects on Passive House
Sell: Passive House modelling software

4. Overview
• 5 things to know about Passive House
• The Passive House Standard
• Passive House Design
• Passive House in NZ so far
• UK Large Scale Examples
• The Benefits of Passive House

5. Passive House: 5 Things
It’s all about the numbers & design by
spreadsheet, right?

6. Yeah, nah.

7. High-performance Design

8. 1. Integrated Design

9. Photo: City of Leipzig

10. 2. Location

11. Photo: La Maison Passive / David Montigny

12. 3. Orientation

13. Photo: Passive House Institute

14. 4. Form
Architect’s love this, eh?

15. Qingdao Ecopark, RoA Rongen Tribus Vallentin

16. 5. Construction System

17. Photo: Architektengemeinschaft Reiter + Rentzsch / Spitzner

18. The Passive House Standard

19. Why Passive House?
Performance gap
‘Eco’ but uncomfortable
A design solution to provide excellent indoor
conditions for people with minimal energy input

20. Wolfgang Feist
I was working as a physicist. I read that the
construction industry had experimented with
adding insulation to new buildings and that energy
consumption had failed to reduce. This
offended me – it was counter to the
basic laws of physics. I knew that they must
be doing something wrong. So I made it my
mission to find out what, and to establish what
was needed to do it right.

21. Passive House Definition
A Passive House is a building, for which thermal comfort
(ISO 7730) can be achieved solely by post-heating or
post-cooling of the fresh air mass, which is required to
achieve sufficient indoor air quality conditions – without the
need for additional recirculation of air.
https://passipedia.org/basics/the_passive_house_-_definition
In plain English: Exceptional comfort & performance by
design, not by adding heating or other technology.

22. The Passive House Standard
Energy Efficiency / Low Carbon
Comfort
Quality Assurance

23. The Passive House Standard
A voluntary international best practice
Performance Standard
Rigorous Design Process
Rigorous Certification Process

24. Meeting the PH Standard
High-performance* continuous unbroken thermal
envelope
High-performance* windows and doors
Thermal bridges eliminated or accounted for
Airtight building envelope
Ventilation system with high-efficiency heat
recovery
Modelled in PHPP
*High-performance is climate specific

25. Passive House Requirements
Metrics – Energy
Heating Demand: 15 kWh/(m2.a)
OR Heating Load: 10 W/m2
Cooling Demand: 15 kWh/(m2.a)
OR Cooling Load: 10 W/m2
Airtightness n50: 0.6 ach
Primary Energy: 120 kWh/(m2.a)*
* Varies when renewable energy accounted for

26. Passive House Requirements
Metrics – Comfort / other
Overheating: less than 10% of the year over 25 C
Fresh Air: effective ventilation required for all rooms
Indoor RH: not below 30%
Air temperature: design set point 20 C
Surface temps: max 4.2 K lower than air temps
Moisture: must rule out excessive buildup in elements
Habitable rooms: at least one opening window
Controls: users must be able to operate
Sound: ≤ 25 db(A) from the ventilation system
Draughts: no draughts to be perceived

27. Passive House Outcomes
• Meaningful energy demand reductions 75 - 90%
• Meaningful CO2 emission reductions 60 - 75%
• Exceptional comfort – ambient and radiant
temperatures, low stratification, symetrical
• Free from draughts
• Free from condensation, damp and mould
• Constant fresh air at a comfortable temperature
• Quiet

28. Passive House Success
• Simple clear standard
• Integrated in the design process
• Rigorous methodology
• Verification by modelling & real-world monitoring
• Grass-roots adoption & passion
• Hot-bed of building innovation globally
• It works

29. Passive House design

30. Process
• Clear performance requirements
• Rigorous non-prescriptive design methodology
• Modelling integral to the design process
• Design QA
• Construction QA
• Rigorous 3rd-party verification process
• Accountability

31. A focus on details that matter
1. The thermal envelope
• Insulation
• Airtightness
• Thermal Bridges
• Windows & Doors
2. Ventilation with Heat Recovery

32. How Airtight?
4.5Xplus
0.6 ach 5.0 ach

33. MVHR v Windows
3Xplus
Window ventilation only82% efficient MVHR

34. Why is PHPP so accurate?
• A design tool
• Instant
• Transparent
• Parametric
• Useful
• Simplified
• Steady state
• Only what’s needed
• Detailed
• Verified
• Dynamic simulation
• Real world results
• Constant improvement

35. How detailed?
U = 0.86 W/(m²K) U = 0.84 W/(m²K) U = 1.22 W/(m²K)
From the Passivhaus Institut

36. Passive House in NZ so far

37. Jessop Architects, Auckland
First Certified Passive House in NZ, 2012

38. MOAA Architects, Raglan

39. eHaus (design & build), various locations

40. Black Pine Architects, Whanganui

41. Brewer Davidson Architects, Christchurch

42. Rafe Maclean Architects, Wanaka

43. Valhalla Living (design & build), Taupo

44. eHaus (design & build), Waikanae

45. Architype Architects, Dunedin

46. S3 Architects, Auckland

47. Architype Architects, Dunedin

48. UK Large Scale Examples

49. Bushbury Hills Primary School
Architype (UK)

50. Oakmeadow Primary School
Architype (UK)

51. Swillington Primary School
Architype (UK)

52. Chester Balmore (53 units)
RMA + Architype (UK)

53. RMA + Architype (UK)

54. Hereford Archive & Records Centre
Architype (UK)

55. Wilkinson Primary School
Architype (UK)

56. Burry Port Community PS
Architype (UK)

57. University of East Anglia
Architype (UK)

58. Architype (UK)

59. Agar Grove Block A (36 units)
HawkinsBrown + Architype (UK)

60. HawkinsBrown + Architype (UK)

61. Trimsaran Primary School
Architype (UK)

62. Trimsaran Primary School
Architype (UK)

63. Parc Y Tywyn Primary School
Architype (UK)

64. Gellideg Foundation
Architype (UK)

65. Benefits of Passive House

66. Quality Assurance
• Design
• Construction
• 3rd party checks
• Verification

67. Comfort
• Fresh air
• Cool in summer
• Warm in winter
• Even temperatures - surfaces and air
• Quiet
• No draughts
• No condensation
• No mould

68. Resilience
• Stay warm / cool and healthy in power cuts
• Less affected by power price rises
• Robust route to net-zero or off-grid

69. Whole Life Costs
• Some increase in capital costs depending on
approach
• Significantly reduced energy costs
• Less maintenance

70. Making a Positive Contribution
• Less dependence on fossil fuel
• Less demand on electricity grid
• Climate Change mitigation

71. Takeaways
VArquitectos, Pamplona, Spain

72. Takeaways
• It’s about design
• Get the fundamentals & details right
• De-risk process and outcomes
• High performance outcomes

73. Happy Clients
Residential Passive House:
We’ll never live in anything else
Passive House Social Housing:
No voids, no rent arrears, positive social behavior,
tenants can afford Xmas / Holiday
Commercial Passive House:
We’ll have another one, please

74. Thanks for listening!
Download a free guide:
http://via-architecture.net/porsche