Passive House NW Conference is Coming Soon

Passive HouseA residential building construction standard requiring very low levels of air leakage, very high levels of insulation, and windows with a very low U-factor. Developed in the early 1990s by Bo Adamson and Wolfgang Feist, the standard is now promoted by the Passivhaus Institut in Darmstadt, Germany. To meet the standard, a home must have an infiltration rate no greater than 0.60 AC/H @ 50 pascals, a maximum annual heating energy use of 15 kWh per square meter (4,755 Btu per square foot), a maximum annual cooling energy use of 15 kWh per square meter (1.39 kWh per square foot), and maximum source energy use for all purposes of 120 kWh per square meter (11.1 kWh per square foot). The standard recommends, but does not require, a maximum design heating load of 10 W per square meter and windows with a maximum U-factor of 0.14. The Passivhaus standard was developed for buildings in central and northern Europe; efforts are underway to clarify the best techniques to achieve the standard for buildings in hot climates. Northwest’s 2013 annual conference takes place March 15 at Seattle Pacific University. Organizers expect about 200 attendees.

Among the speakers are Denis Hayes, president of the Bullitt Foundation, which promotes sustainable development in the Pacific Northwest, and J.O. Dockx of the Brussels Institute for Management of the Environment.

Organizers said Dockx will discuss the public-private Exemplary Buildings Program, which has created 1.5 million sq. ft. of high-performance building in Brussels. All new construction there will be required to meet the Passivhaus standard by 2015.

Presentations and workshops will cover high-performance wall systems, large-scale prefabricated construction, and the basics of Passivhaus design and construction. A second workshop track will cover routes to Passivhaus certification, including a presentation on the Passive House Institute US training program.

The conference runs from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. But if you can’t make it in person, the conference will be available via webinar. Details were to be posted at the PHnw web site, where you’ll also find details on registration fees.

Hammer & Hand and NK Architects are co-sponsors. Seattle Pacific University is located at 3307 3rd Avenue West in Seattle.