The Healthiest House is One of the Greenest

This Earth Day, we're going back to the basics: Why do so many of our clients choose to do Passive House? What even is a Passive House?

Why do Our Clients Choose Passive House?

Many of our clients come to us wanting to create the healthy, comfortable, and serene home of their dreams. They are concerned about the quality of the air they breathe, and they want their house to be their oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of New York City.

Often, they don't know what a passive house is (although increasingly, excitingly, clients approach us familiar with our passive house projects and wanting their own). For those who are motivated by the desire for a great house, not a passive house, the first conversation is always about amenities.

Passive House comes with a string of benefits that separate them from traditionally constructed homes. The walls are well-sealed, preventing not only air leakage through the walls, but also keeping pests and dust at bay. They provide filtered, fresh air 24/7 through the use of ERVs, which regulate moisture, filter contaminants and pollution out of the indoor air, and provide around-the-clock benefits. High-performance windows and doors drastically reduce street noise, even in NYC. They also prevent draftiness, even right along the edge of the house, and almost never need to turn the heat on. Finally, smaller mechanical systems and zero drafts means the designer is free to explore interesting configurations and features not otherwise possible.

What is a Passive House?

In the broadest sense, a Passive House is simply a well-constructed building.

Passive houses provide year-round benefits, including higher indoor air quality, temperature control, and reduced street noise. They are resilient, durable, and have dramatically lower heating demands and operational carbon emissions.

To achieve these benefits, six principles guide the design and construction of passive houses:

• Continuous insulation

• No thermal bridges

• Airtightness

• Fresh air with heat recovery

• High-performance windows and doors

• Shading

This might all sound complicated, but the buildings themselves are quite dumb, with simple mechanical systems and low energy demands that save a ton of money.

How do You Build a Passive House?

At the end of the day, completing a Passive House comes down to simply just better building details.

Successful passive house projects require careful material selection, design, and construction methods. When starting your first passive house, this all can seem overwhelming. Luckily, the resources are already out there.

Explore some of the work we've shared to learn more about the what, why, and how of Passive House.