Canadian developer Brivia Group has selected downtown Vancouver as the location of its newest and most sustainable project yet. CURV, a 60-storey residential development between Burrard and Thurlow Streets, will be the world’s tallest passive house building – a modern, low carbon and energy efficient building that contributes to a healthier planet, mirroring the environmental ethos of the city of Vancouver. Passive House is the highest standard for energy efficiency in commercial…
Using Passive House to Fast-Track Building Electrification
A growing body of research tells us achieving deep carbon reduction targets of 75% or more will require electrification, including all furnaces and water heaters across the country, and powering those buildings with 100% renewable energy. Nationally, approximately 27% of the total natural gas consumption occurs directly in residential and commercial buildings. This has led policymakers in many U.S. jurisdictions to consider building electrification policies and incentives as a way to meet climate goals. And with research…
Let’s save fossil energy! NOW!
Passive House Institute: #EfficiencyNOW shows ways towards independence from fossil fuels Darmstadt, Germany. The call of the hour is to save fossil energy. To achieve this goal quickly, the Passive House Institute has started the #EfficiencyNOW campaign. The research institute explains how each one of us can contribute towards becoming more independent of fossil energy, and ultimately phasing it out altogether. On Passipedia, the Institute provides guidelines on how to…
THE CHESTNUTS ENERPHIT CASE STUDY – A SCALABLE APPROACH TO RETROFITTING
It is no secret that retrofitting an existing structure to a high standard is more challenging than building a new one. In part, retrofitting is challenging because of the diversity of obstacles faced by designers when considering insulation, airtightness, and thermal bridge mitigation strategies – every house is different. With unprecedented retrofit targets outlined by both Irish and UK governments, it is important to develop scalable retrofit approaches, that can…
The Alloy Block houses two public schools: a new elementary school and a new home for the Khalil Gibran International Academy.
If your hospital suddenly feels more like an Apple store or greenhouse, biophilic design is why
Healthcare spaces are increasingly using nature as a way to make their buildings better for patients. Among a certain subset of designers, there’s a growing feeling that the more natural a space is, the better. So-called biophilic design, or design that integrates nature and natural processes, is making its way into the world of architecture and urban development. In architecture, biophilia is seen as a way to make people happier and…
Cornell’s New Campus Breaks Ground and Passive House is Main Attraction
Cornell Groundbreaking from 475 HPBS on Vimeo. "This spring we said “Passive House Poised To Go Big.” Now we’re saying “Passive House Is Going Big.” On June 16th, Cornell Tech held a groundbreaking ceremony on Roosevelt Island. While the event took place to announce Bloomberg Philanthropies $100Mil gift to the new campus, the “BOOM!” heard round the low-energy/high-performance world was news that the campus will have the world’s tallest Passive House.…