Passivhaus Trainer

We took part to the “Train the trainer” class, organised by the Passivhaus Institut of Darmstadt on the days following the 2016 edition of the International Passive House Conference. The class is geared towards passive house experts, who intend to become teachers in the Certified Passive House Designer/Consultant class (CPHD/CPHC) and in the Certified Tradesperson class.

20th International Passive House Conference in Darmstadt

About ten days ago, we took part to the 20th International Passive House Conference in Darmstadt, Germany. Now at its 20th edition, this passive house-focused event brings together researchers, designers, experts and manufacturers from all around the world.

Broken glass

Thermal transmittance of glass: the Ug value

Insulated glass units, IGU for short, have been around for a long time. These elements are of primary importance for the energy balance of highly performing buildings and passive houses: that is why we dedicate this article to the thermal transmittance of insulated glass.

Certified construction system for Passive Houses

The construction system certification is possibly the least known certification offered by the Passivhaus Institut, and yet it can help spreading passive buildings all over the world. We worked on the first system certification for passive houses in a warm climate: we try and explain what it's all about.

PHPP 9: a misunderstanding?

At the 2015 International Passive House Conference in Leipzig, Germany, the Passivhaus Institut presented version 9 of PHPP, which includes many new features to design passive buildings. Many articles have been written about the new primary energy method and the certification classes. In our mind, however, PHPP 9 has more important new features: we explain what they are.

compactness ratio of a building example

The compactness ratio or Form Factor of a building

When addressing the energy efficiency of a building, one of the most important players in the game is the compactness of its thermal envelope. Is there a way to measure the compactness of a building? Yes: it’s the compactness ratio.

Discovering Colorado, the cradle of passive houses

A few weeks ago, for professional reasons we visited Denver, Boulder, Aspen and surrounding areas, in Colorado. At the foot of the Rocky Mountains, in the hearth of the United States, this region saw some of the very first passive…

View of the Rocky Mountain Institute

Our visit to the Rocky Mountain Institute

During our recent trip to Colorado, we had the chance to visit the Rocky Mountain Institute in Snowmass, founded in 1982 by Amory Lovins as a research institute in matters such as sustainability, energy, and efficient use of resources. The original headquarters of the Institute, that has now become Lovins’ residence, is one of the first passive buildings ever built in the world.

Our impressions from the 2015 Int’l Passivhaus Conference in Leipzig, Germany

A couple of weeks ago we went to Leipzig, Germany, to take part in the 19th International Passivhaus Conference, organized by the Passivhaus Institut in Darmstadt. With approximately one thousand people attending from all over the world, this event marks the gathering of some of the AEC sector's greatest experts on energy efficiency. The following are our impressions from the event...