The UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow is front-page news and is on everyone’s lips. But what exactly is this about? Let’s see the connection between the Glasgow Conference and Passivhaus dwellings… COP26 is the International Summit on Climate Change which is held every year by the United Nations. Its main goal is fighting global […]
To understand the importance of heat balance, we need to highlight that a building’s thermal conditions are the ones defining the users’ comfort to a great extent. In general terms, that will rely on the heat gains and losses, depending on the moment. Thus, heat balance means that if heat gains are higher than heat […]
From December 2020, all new construction buildings must be NZEB (Nearly-Zero Energy Building). Therefore, a nearly-zero energy building aims at meeting international protocols on CO2 emissions reduction established by the Paris Agreement. The design and constructive goals of a nearly-zero energy building are summarised as follows: Significant reduction of energy demand by high insulation and […]
A thermal bridge is a highway with the cold coming from the outside to the inside of a dwelling. They are generally created on the façade, because this is where components made with different materials meet or changes in thickness appear, meaning the loss of the thermal envelope continuity. Thus, heat transfer from one side […]
A passive house is a dwelling with high thermal comfort and low energy demand. This sort of dwellings are designed and constructed according to German Passivhaus standard requirements. Fundamentals of a Passive House A passive house is designed by considering the locations’ climate and geographical conditions. It is planned based on a proper sun capture […]
Spending most than 90% of our time indoors, the spaces we live, work and relax in impact on our health, wellbeing and productivity to a great extent. WELL is the first certification exclusively focused on users’ health and confort. It puts human beings in the centre of the design process. This why is so important […]
The Passivhaus certificate is a document officially ensuring that a property can be classified as a “Passivhaus dwelling”, that is, a sustainable dwelling. These constructions are based on a stringent control of their infiltrations, thermal insulation and renewable energies utilisation. Here we will talk about their impact on utility bills. The most efficient tariff When […]
Generally, when we talk about indoor air quality and the ventages of living in a Passivhaus dwelling, we refer to the great thermal comfort. But what is the thermal comfort? Thermal comfort is when the people using a building do not experience any cold or hot feelings, that is, when humidity, temperature and air movement […]
In passive architecture, heat gains are achieved by means of solar radiation. Studying the radiation impact on the building’s envelope is one of the first assessments to be considered when beginning any new project. Indoor layout and its relation to the outdoors through windows and voids predetermines heat gains. A building facing south will get […]
