Form Follows Energy: Achieving the Passive Haus Standard

This is the fourth in the 2012 series of web seminars sponsored by the AIA Housing Knowledge Community. J.B.Clancy, AIA, discusses the design and construction of a Passive House in northern Vermont. This house was the first Certified Passive House in the U.S. for Habitat for Humanity, the first Passive House in Vermont and the first to be built modular. Clancy discusses the principles of Passive House design: Envelope specifications; insulation, air sealing, and thermal bridge free details; mechanical systems; and modeling in the PHPP. Next, he walks through the construction of the Passive House. Then, he reviews the monitored data on energy consumption, temperature and indoor air quality. He closes with lessons learned.