I find it interesting when in the course of a few weeks a topic keeps coming up in different conversations so often that the number of occurrences catch your attention.  Just this week I have heard several people discuss Passive House as it relates to other areas of Sustainable Construction.  Since this is a blog whose main focus began with the idea of using Existing Resources and is also promoting Passive House construction, I wanted to broaden the discussion to show how these two goals work very well together.

I have heard a few comments that Passive House does not promote “green building” as a focus of a project.  By this the commenter usually is referring to material selection, or reuse of materials already on site.  While the Passive House requirements do not specifically have a mandate or credit for a percentage of reused or recycled materials brought from a close proximity, that discussion is very much alive in the Passive House Consultant community.

Passive House began as a way to reduce the ever-increasing need for fossil fuels.  It approaches the carbon footprint argument from a different direction than the embodied energy of Existing Resources does.  Passive House construction does this specifically by reducing what is needed to heat and power a building over the lifetime of that structure and thus requires less energy to be produced at the global level.  By developing methods to bring Passive House construction to retrofits AND require they have the same performance of newly constructed Passive House buildings, the Existing Resources that are already in place in the present day building stock and their embodied energy can be incorporated into the main goal that Passive House construction has of reducing energy requirements while also promoting sustainable building practices.

While Passive House does not focus specifically on which materials can be reused and what building methods best promote sustainable construction, the people who are involved in the effort to bring Passive House construction to the forefront are keenly aware of these issues and do take steps to incorporate them into their projects.  Passive House Northwest has a mission statement that says in part “We are motivated by the long-term protection of the environment and climate; the promotion of sustainability, quality, and durability in building construction; the creation of a built environment that is healthy for its inhabitants; and the advancement of energy independence and the reduction of operating costs for building occupants and owners.”  Many of the Passive House consultants from Seattle are also members of the Ec0-Building Guild.  I am certain that other consultants from different areas of the country have similar associations.

Just as there is no one way to build a Passive House, there is also no one way to build Sustainably.  It is the overall impact that remains as the goal and reusing materials, or putting them out to be reused by others fits the underlying principle of Passive House very well – if something is already made, the energy to make another one does not have to be provided.  Existing Resources can help Passive House achieve their goal, it is up to the building professionals and others in the local community to find the ways this can happen easily, efficiently, and affordably for all concerned.

The conversation of the role Existing Resources play in Passive House is ongoing, as is another conversation of taking Passive House to Net Zero through adding alternate energy sources to a project specifically to reach this goal.  It is good to have these conversations, share ideas and opinions, solve problems, and address misconceptions should they arise.  The good news is that you do not have to pick Passive House over Sustainable Construction – Passive House IS Sustainable Construction, how sustainable is up to those involved with the project and the resources available.

-Linda

Dan’s project is making waves in the Green Building community. Today’s email brought the latest Building Green newsletter and a wonderful surprise – Dan’s project is featured in an article that Alex Wilson wrote for the Evironmental Building News. “Passive House Arrives in North America: Could it Revolutionize the Way We Build?” Be sure to check out Alex’s article and put your two cents worth in the comments or accompanying blog.

-Linda

I am having a ball writing this blog about Dan’s project.  Part of that is the behind the scenes reports I get from WordPress on how many people view the blog or when someone links to the blog from a posting on another site.  Sometimes those are the results of a software program that just grabs blog site addresses and posts them randomly, but today I was in for a very pleasant surprise.  Richard Defendorf of Green Building Advisor has written a very nice article about the project and included a link to this blog (thanks Richard!).  You can read “A Passive House Kick-Start in the Northwest” here.

This has prompted me to finally put together a page of just the Seattle Passive House project posts in order from the beginning for anyone who would like an easier way to review the project.  You can see that at “Seattle Passive House From the Beginning”.  I have also made it a permanent tab at the top of the blog page and will update it as I write new blog postings.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who keep coming back for more news about Dan’s project and ask for any comments or suggestions of future blog postings you would like to see.  I will be getting into a discussion of the different software programs that we use for modeling the projects and will also bring you news of other Passive House projects that are happening.

Thanks!

-Linda

As you can see, Dan’s project is coming along nicely.  There is additional foam around the foundation, the Homasote board is on (except where extra shear from OSB was required), and you can get an idea of how this home will fill the lot.  Dan and his crew were busy getting the roof covered so this project can start getting dried out. [edited 3/24/10 to change Homasote link to the Homasote 440 Sound Barrier board product that Dan used and not the N.C.F.R. Homasote product.]

Dan’s project was visited this week by a contractor interested in the Passive House concept.  One of his concerns was of summer cooling.  I thought that would be a good question to review.  Even in Seattle we have been known to get temperatures over 100 deg F.  Just an hour or so east of Seattle, on the other side of the Cascade mountains, residents regularly experience 100 deg days in the summer as well as plenty of snow in the winter.  A Passive House being able to keep its residents comfortable year-round faces a bigger hurdle there than in Seattle, and yet it is held to the same Passive House requirements.

Even traditional house construction can teach us about a Passive House having the ability to keep us comfortable in the summer.  Have you noticed that if you keep your house closed up on a summer day which you know will be quite hot, the house stays cooler than the outdoor air for a longer period?   This is because the heat that made its way inside during the day before transferred out through radiation, conduction, or convection at night when the night-time temperatures were cooler.  The next day as the outside was warmed by the sun, those same methods of heat transfer slowly heated up your house – but it took some time because of the insulation, orientation, or shading factors inherent in your house.  Eventually if the day becomes hot enough, so does your house.  Last year Seattle reached a record 103 deg F and more than one family wished for their own A/C unit!

In planning for a Passive House it is important to take into consideration what the temperatures are like year-round, not just for heating, but also for cooling.  The good news is, the same careful construction planning that keeps you warm in a Passive House during the winter can also keep you cool during the summer.   Proper insulation, orienting a house to get adequate Solar Heat Gain in the winter for warmth needs to be coupled with planning for summertime shading by way of overhangs, shading devices, as well as proper window selection.  Knowing that winter sun arrives at a different angle than summer sun and planning for this is a key element of successful Passive House planning.

Choosing the right equipment and ways to operate the house also aids in keeping a comfortable summer environment.  The ventilation system will run year-round to keep fresh air in the building, but the heat does not need to be recaptured year-round.  Bypassing the heat recovery in the summer allows for excess heat in the house to be exhausted.  Circulating air through earthtubes buried in the ground and then introducing that air (which not only pre-cools to approximately 50 deg F or so during the summer, but also pre-warms to that same temp in the winter) allows for another measure of climate control and is something that can be considered.  Cooler night-time air circulated in the house is beneficial too.  But what if these passive measures are not enough to keep a building comfortable in the summer?  Is there anything I can do and still have a Passive House?  The answer is yes.  Just as Passive Houses have minor heating needs, some need just a bit of cooling and that can be provided through a mechanical device such as a mini-split air conditioner.  The power requirements of this device need to be considered in the Passive House requirements, but with planning it can be done.

In Europe there is a group that is studying how construction requirements for Passive Houses in warm climates differ from those in cooler climates.  They have made some recommendations that are not currently part of the Passive House requirements, but a lot of thought has already been put into that concern for Europe.  As we move ahead in the US with Passive House construction we will learn more ways of improving the methods of construction to allow for both adequate heating AND cooling for our climatic regions.  If you would like to read more about the European study, you can find information at http://www.passive-on.org/en/ While their solutions may not be directly applicable to our climate regions, the fact that Passive Houses can be successfully built-in a variety of climates is the important thought to take away.  Wherever the project is, no matter the climate, all circumstances that will affect that project need to be considered and planned for to have a successful Passive House project.

Friday the roof trusses arrived at the project from The Truss Co of Sumner WA.  The truck was levelled and the boom was raised.But no worries – you have to look at the right perspective!

The trusses were hoisted into place and the next phase of construction began. The project has been very lucky with the weather this winter compared to other parts of the country, but this is still Seattle and it is important to get a roof on as quickly as possible to keep the project as dry as possible.  Moisture is one of the worst problems to deal with on any construction site.  Excess moisture in the proper conditions can lead to mold growth and warping of materials.   Passive House construction focuses on healthy environments for the residents.  Being diligent at all phases of construction will help the project achieve this goal.  In this last picture you can see where Dan stacked lumber and tarped it inside the building.

[LATE BREAKING NEWS] With one person changing their vote to FoamHenge and another vote mysteriously being emailed to yours truly, FoamHenge has surged to tie Fred as the name of the project.  We will strive to bring you the latest in the Name That Project Brew-Ha-Ha hahaha (Why do I think alcohol was involved in arriving at some of these names???)

-Linda

This blog passed the 1,000 views mark today and I would like to thank everyone who continues to check in for updates on the Seattle Passive House Project.    They are delivering roof trusses this week and  I’ll update the blog shortly thereafter.

In the meantime, I bet you would be interested in the results of the “Name That House” poll.  Drumroll please………… Fred is winning at 3 votes!!! Seriously!  Of course there were several alternate names offered and here is where the votes have gone.

Fred – 3

Courtland Place Passive Palace – 2

Courtland Place Passive Project – 2

Seattle 1 – 1

The Passive Pride of Courtland Place-1

Foamhenge – 1

Seattle Green House Project – 1

Courtland Passive – 1

Courtland Passivhaus – 1

Thanks again for reading the blog – if you’ve been following along, but have not yet subscribed to get the updates emailed to you as they get posted, you can join by signing up on the right side of the page and responding to the confirmation email that gets sent to you.

Coming up – Raising the roof; What’s High Tech about Low Energy Use?; Semicolons – do I use them correctly or will my Grammarian write me out of the will?

😉

-Linda