Announcing the 2014 Passive House Award – submission deadline 30th September 2013
Darmstadt. Those at the forefront of energy efficient construction globally can now submit innovative projects for the 2014 Passive House Award. Competition entries may include single buildings as well as entire districts or regions. An independent jury will evaluate the architectural design and urban planning aspects of the submitted projects with special attention given to the use of renewables in sustainable energy supply concepts. Winning projects will be presented with the award at the 2014 International Passive House Conference next April in Aachen, Germany.
The Passive House Award is intended to demonstrate the high architectural quality and the diverse nature of the work being done in the field of energy-efficient construction at the international level. The award will also recognise the increasingly popular combination of energy-efficiency with renewable energy sources. The award has been announced by the Passive House Institute within the framework of the EU project PassREg (Passive House Regions with Renewable Energies) under the patronage of the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Construction and Urban Development. Entries may be submitted online through 30 September 2013 at www.passivehouse-award.org.
For single buildings, Passive House certification and the use of renewables is a prerequisite; compliance with EnerPHit criteria is essential in the case of retrofits. City districts, towns, entire streets or regions can even participate if they are still in the development phase. Achievement of the Passive House or EnerPHit Standard should also be aimed for and at least one building in the scheme must be certified. Applications may be submitted by representatives of both the public and private sector including municipalities, associations or housing development companies.
The jury will consider the exemplary role of the projects in addition to evaluating them on architectural design and urban planning aspects. Creative solutions that address extreme climates or other challenging conditions resulting from the location, the legal framework, financing or construction in general will also be examined. The cost- effectiveness of the buildings or building schemes and the approaches employed will pave the way for implementation of such front running projects on a large scale.
“With Passive House, designers and architects have complete creative freedom – the requirements for functionality, structure, economics and ecology can all be combined in a visually appealing way,” stresses Dr. Wolfgang Feist, Director of the Passive House Institute. With the 2010 Passive House Award, the Passive House Institute already demonstrated that energy efficiency and stunning architecture can go hand in hand. The winners of the next Passive House Award will be presented at the 18th International Passive House Conference, to be held on 25 and 26 April 2014 in Aachen, Germany.
Further information regarding the terms and conditions of participation can be found at
———————————————————————————————————————————————————-