Director Andy Marlow has recently become a certified Passive House Designer, one of only six in NSW. A tough three-hour exam including designing an entire Passive House, followed an intense two week course.
Director Andy Marlow has recently become a certified Passive House Designer, one of only six in NSW. A tough three-hour exam including designing an entire Passive House, followed an intense two week course.
“It’s been the hardest thing I’ve done professionally, ever” said Andy. The course covered all elements of building physics, moisture management, insulation, air tightness detailing and economics.
What is Passive House? In short, it’s passive solar design with numerical targets. It involves:
- Appropriate levels of insulation
- Air tight construction
- Reliable ventilation for healthy indoor air
- Elimination of thermal bridges
- Good quality windows and doors
- Very low energy consumption
- Very high levels of thermal comfort
The next few years will see Passive House exponentially increase. In the UK it went from 0 to 500 buildings in less than a decade. Australia currently has 7, New Zealand 11, from little things……
If you unsure if Passive House is the right approach for the Australian climate check out this article. If you want to talk about it give us a call on 02 9913 3997.
If you want to get more involved with this approach to better quality buildings the Australian Passive House Association holds regular events in most Australian states.
Check out the video below for the simple explanation curtesy of Hans-Jörn Eich from PinWheel in Ontario.
Author:
Andy Marlow
Andy joined Dick Clarke at Envirotecture as a young architect, gaining significant experience in designing genuinely sustainable buildings, both residential and non-residential, in Australia and overseas. After a stint at a large corporate practice, Andy returned to Envirotecture as a director in 2014. He went on to found Passivhaus Design & Construct in 2020, in order to make Passivhaus performance more accessible for more people.
Date Published:
September 13, 2017
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