Paper Conference

Proceedings of BauSim Conference 2010: 3rd Conference of IBPSA-Germany and Austria

     

PassivHaus and PHPP – Do continental design criteria work in a Welsh climatic context?

Robert S. McLeod, Christina J. Hopfe, Yacine Rezgui

Abstract: The Welsh Assembly Government has implemented an „aspirational‟ target that from 2011 all new buildings in Wales must be „zero carbon,‟ five years ahead of the 2016 deadline originally set for homes in England. The PassivHaus concept developed in Germany has grown steadily in Europe demonstrating a reliable methodology for the design of ultra low energy buildings, therefore providing the possibility of an established method of meeting the zero carbon targets in Wales. Social housing projects currently being designed in Wales and Ireland using the PassivHaus Planning Package (PHPP) have highlighted challenges that may have strong implications for the design of future „zero carbon‟ dwellings in the UK and Irish maritime climates. This paper will discuss the above in more detail by showing the implications of applying the PassivHaus standard in Wales and examining the standard for its appropriateness in the supposedly milder Welsh climate. The research conducted will demonstrate that the PassivHaus concept offers a useful template but that it also implies uncertainty due to its thermal performance in the middle European maritime climatic zones with corresponding implications for design sensitivity.
Pages: 428 - 434
Paper:
bausim2010_428