Designing for the Future: Incorporating the Passive House Standard

Designing living environments that are equipped for the future requires a truly all-inclusive approach. The Passive House standard, an ultra-low energy certification program, requires designers to incorporate building science principles from the beginning of schematic design to significantly reduce energy consumption using mostly passive measures. While the focus of the program is reducing energy consumption, the intent of creating such efficient buildings is to also provide comfortable, healthy, and resilient places to live. Looking closely at the design of a 500-unit Passive House project in Silver Spring, MD, attendees will learn how this standard has been implemented to provide tenants with lower utility bills, comfortable indoor environments free from drafts, fresh filtered air, and durable healthy homes. This presentation will highlight how the typical design process had to be altered and what new tools and strategies were used to incorporate these concepts to have the greatest possible impact.

In partnership with AIA DC.