ENVIRONMENTALLY friendly and conservation-minded building techniques have been around for decades. But only in recent years have standards, like the LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, been developed for builders to follow.
Now one of the most exacting standards, called “passive house,” is making its way to the United States from Europe. Passive, or “zero energy,” houses maintain a comfortable interior climate without active heating and cooling systems, according to the Passivhaus Institut, which administers the standard. That is achieved through a system of interior and exterior air exchange, an airtight building envelope and energy-saving appliances, among other things.
Any additional energy needs can be generated by renewable sources. The institute says a passive house uses less than a quarter of the energy of a traditionally powered home.
There are about 32,000 passive houses worldwide, most of them in Austria and Germany, according to the institute, which is in Darmstadt, Germany. A number of buildings in New York City are being retrofitted as passive houses, including a multifamily development in Brooklyn at 96 St. Marks Avenue.
- Verfasser/in:
- Alison Gregor, erschienen am 01.12.2011 in der New York Times
