TERRELL WONG - PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT B.ARCH. OAA
12 St Andrews Gardens, Toronto, CA
416-898-8089
PASSIVE HOUSE
Passive House is a series of strict energy targets that originated 20 years ago in Germany. It has grown exponentially around the world. Tens of thousands of buildings meet this standard. There are municipalities and even countries that have it as their base standard of construction.
The concept at its most basic is the: if you put great consideration to 6 essential elements in the construction the resulting building will strive toward Passive House targets.
KEY CONCEPTS
SOLAR ORIENTATION
A Passive House always faces the sun.
INSULATION
A Passive House has an uninterrupted insulation around the entire exterior surfaces
AIR TIGHT
A Passive House reduces the major source of heat loss, infiltration, by having a well detailed continuous air barrier
VENTILATION
A Passive House stays fresh by having a very efficient heat recovery ventilator to provide air throughout.
THERMAL BRIDGES
A Passive House reduces heat loss and increases longevity by not having any structure spanning from the conditioned space through the insulation to the exterior.
WINDOWS & DOORS
A Passive House stays comfortable all year by using exceptional windows and doors that also follow all the key concepts.