#passivehaus

BIQ (Bio Intelligent Quotient) House by Splitterwerk and Arup is a passive house design with microalgae bioreactor panels on the facade, which help power the building with biomass, a renewable energy source.

Meath House is another good example. It’s in Ireland by Peter Legge Associates Architects.

Another is a prototype passive house by Unsangdong Architects, called Kolon E+Green House Korea. It combines a LOT of sustainable practices like rainwater harvesting, wind turbines, pv panels, etc.

"The resulting three-story, 20-unit dormitory follows Passive House principles and is the first dormitory in the United States to receive full Phius certification. The exterior is inspired by a simple barn typology to align with passive design conventions and fit in with the campus aesthetic..." It is a huge honor to be the first general contractor to build a Phius certified dormitory in the US! Read more about the build in AIA Philadelphia's Context publication: https://issuu.com/aia_philadelphia/docs/fall_2024_context_issue_for_web

El 2019 lo iniciamos con uno de los proyectos más bonitos en los que hemos tenido ocasión de colaborar este año. La difusión a prensa especializada del proyecto de rehabilitación, según criterios #passivhaus, de una vivienda centenaria situada en el barrio de Las Tres Torres de Barcelona realizado por el estudio de arquitectura e interiorismo Lucía Olano Lafita. 

Un proyecto de arquitectura y rehabilitación muy interesante por la recuperación de la arquitectura modernista, y por conseguir realizar una construcción en la que ha primado la estética, el confort y el ahorro energético y que, en su día, fue publicado en diferentes medios: Infurma Portal Internacional del Hábitat / ARQA / Plataforma Arquitectura /  disup / viaconstruccion / promateriales / Interiores Minimalistas y a todos los medios que habéis mostrado vuestro interés en el proyecto y que publicaréis diferentes informaciones en breve! 

Hace tan solo unos días, desde Kina Comunicación nos hemos encargado también de la difusión del interiorismo de la vivienda. El estudio de Lucía Olano, mezclando estilos clásico y contemporáneo, ha creado un interiorismo minimalista, sobrio y elegante para esta casa de 1920 gracias al uso de diferentes equipamientos de mobiliario, iluminación y complementos de decoración de diseño de firmas nacionales e internacionales.

Y, las primeras publicaciones ya van saliendo 👏🏻 Elle Decor / AD España / Decoesfera / Construnario 

📷 Marcela Grassi 

¡Hasta pronto!

Gemma Graupera | Directora Kina Comuniación

The day of Pre-Stress Test began at 6:30am, when we arrived at studio to make some last minute touches to the presentation and perfect our detail drawings. The melancholy skies and impending thunderstorms were solemn omens of the review to come. By mid-morning, we were joined by David Hinson and Justin Miller, who we hoped would give us constructive feedback about the energy efficiency analysis we had done so far and the problems we had yet to solve before breaking ground in May.

As you may have guessed, they did not disappoint!

Because he and his students are currently building a Passiv Haus version of Buster’s Home (20Kv21) in Opelika, Alabama, David Hinson provided our team with some invaluable construction advice. David showed us process images of his studio’s work and sketched out details he’s become incredibly familiar with, especially with regard to foundation assembly, which his team recently completed. Also proficient in all things Fortified Building Standards, David pushed us toward reaching the Fortified Gold, which is the ultimate insurance-cost-saving goal.

Justin Miller, a veteran of all things related to environmental controls, gave us some tips on our energy modeling software and challenged us to consider the necessity of ideal shading when it comes to the siting of our Revised Home. He also quizzed us on where our air barriers should be, and gave us great ideas for adding clarity to our detail drawings. When we’re ready to think about our HVAC systems, we’ll definitely consult with him again in order to best consider air changes, humidity control, and system types.

Though we had been stressed out and anxious before the review, we felt encouraged and excited afterwards. There’s still a lot more to do, but we’re now more confident that we’re going in the right direction.

Sweaty, sweet, and yours,

When Passive House started in the 90s, it was all about energy, and that is what the basic standard regulates. But saving energy is a hard sell these days when fossil fuels are so cheap, so Passive House people are pivoting to other virtues of Passive House design that are byproducts of super-insulated walls and high quality windows: Comfort, that comes from having a wall surface and window that is close to room temperature, and Resilience or security, because Passive House designs stay warm when the heat goes out.

But there is another feature that comes with thick insulated walls and triple-glazed windows: Quiet. It really cuts down the noise inside. A few years ago I was in Jane Sanders' Passive House renovation of a Brooklyn townhouse and noted in my post on it:

For someone living in New York City, perhaps the biggest benefit of building to Passive House standards is that it is incredibly quiet inside. Bergen is a busy street, with buses and trucks going by at all hours. However the high quality triple glazed windows plus the thick blanket of insulation really cut the noise; You could see buses go by and really could not hear a thing.

But how much quieter is it? Zack Semke of nk Architects looked at the question and writes:

We asked the acoustic engineers at SSA Acoustics to evaluate just how significant the noise reduction in Passive House buildings is. They studied the design of a 12’ by 9’ section of exterior wall from a typical multifamily unit, comparing two versions of the wall: one using conventional construction and double-paned windows, the other employing Passive House thickness, insulation, airtightness, and triple-paned glazing.