It?s all about the insulation You hear about passive homes popping up everywhere from San Diego to Vienna, but what exactly is a passive house" And how are they built" Curbed spoke with passive house pros Ken Levenson of NY Passive House and San Francisco-based architect Bronwyn Barry to understand the green building trend that?s cutting carbon emissions and energy bills.
What exactly is a passive house"
"Passive house is the radical notion that you can reliably and consistently design a building that works for humans," explained Barry. "It?s a comfort standard and a methodology."
Essentially, a passive house is designed to be extremely energy-efficient so that it doesn?t take a lot of power to heat or cool. To be designated as a passive house, a building must embody a set of specific best practices that seal it from outside temperatures while maintaining a stable inside temperature and high air quality.
These best practices were developed over decades of research conducted by the Passive House Institute (PHI) in Darmstadt, Germany. Now, they?re used by thousands of architects, developers, and contractors all over the globe. When you call a house a "passive house" you?re saying that it was built to the PHI?s rigorous standards for insulation and energy use.
How does a passive house work"
"It?s sort of like building a thermos," said Ken Levenson, "but it?s a thermos with really good ventilation.&q...