What is Passivhaus?

Passivhaus is a set of scientifically based construction measures for ultra-high building performance. Dr. Bo Adamson & Dr. Wolfgang Feist refined previous findings for building efficiency and created their own performance metrics in 1996. They are recognised as the founders of the Passivhaus concept. As residential architects in Newcastle we have put together the 5 key criteria of a Passivhaus:

1. Thermal insulation
2. Airtight Envelopes
3. Energy Recovery Ventilation
4. High Performance Windows
5. Thermal-bridge free

The purpose for implementing these principles is to create a building that can achieve thermal comfort using only the heating and cooling of the fresh air required to maintain healthy indoor air quality.

Definition: Thermal Comfort (Passivhaus)

A humidity-controlled space ranging between 20-25^oC with no more than 10% of the year exceeding 25^oC.