PASSIVE HOUSE DESIGN & HOME PLANS
We deliver Energy-Efficient Home Plans and Passive House Designs suited to your requirements in Muskoka.
PASSIVE HOUSE & ENERGY-EFFICIENT HOMES - MUSKOKA
The German-developed Passive House (Passiv Haus) home design and construction standard is a rigorously researched design methodology with the goal of achieving significant energy-use reduction in new homes, relative to the minimum energy efficiency standards set by Building Codes.
Passive House architecture is not characterized by specific building form or interior design features but is a design philosophy and process that aims to reduce lifetime energy consumption of a home through meticulous design of a home's building assemblies and systems.
According to the Canadian Passive House Institute energy-efficiency improvements of 80% to 90% relative to the minimum building code requirements for home construction are a realistic expectation for homes that meet this design standard.
Passive House Certification cannot be achieved in existing homes, nor in homes built using conventional construction techniques.
PASSIVE HOUSE DESIGN
Environmental stewardship - Passive House Design for new homes.
EMAILFrom the very outset of the concept, we felt you were very much in tune with our approach to either an extensive renovation of the existing building or a completely new building.Leonard Lake
ARCHITECTURAL FORM AND THE PASSIVE HOUSE DESIGN STANDARD
Passive House architectural designs may take any form but the design & energy-efficiency targets are most easily met when simple and efficient building geometry is employed in the home's architecture.
To meet energy-efficiency goals in the Canadian climate, a Passive House home design must:
- Be oriented on the building site to optimize passive solar heat gain in winter
- Employ passive window shading to protect against heat gain & overheating during summer
- Provide thermal separation of the foundation from the sub-grade and backfilled soils by using high-density extruded polystyrene (X.P.S.) insulation for high total R-values
- Incorporate triple-pane window and door glass with low thermal conductivity (high insulation value), high solar heat gain coefficient and frames/ jambs that include a thermal insulation break
- Specify building envelope air and vapour-sealing details, procedures, and materials (air leakage accounts for between 30% and 50% of heat losses in a conventional home)
ARCHITECTURAL STYLES GALLERY
ENERGY EFFICIENT & PASSIVE HOUSE DESIGNS - MUSKOKA
The design requirements for a home that will meet the Passive House standard are many and detailed.
To achieve success in the design of a Passive House building, the planning and design work must begin with knowledge of building site characteristics and the requirements of the Passive House design standard.
Although energy-efficiency is a large factor in the appeal of Passive House home design, the building envelope improvements inherent in a certified Passive House also offer enhancements in:
- thermal comfort
- indoor air-quality
- acoustic buffering
A Passive House home design can incorporate the features and benefits of a variety of architectural and interior design styles that offer property owners a high-quality & attractive new home design with low lifetime energy consumption and a healthy home interior.
