Title: Five Principles of Passive House Design and Construction | Passive House Buildings
Headings: Five Principles of Passive House
Design and Construction

Five Principles of Passive House Design and Construction
Superinsulated Envelopes
Figure 1. Example Building Assemblies
Airtight Construction
High-Performance Glazing
Figure 2. Example Features of a Passive House Window
Thermal-Bridge-Free Detailing
Figure 3. Example building interface details
Heat Recovery Ventilation
Summary
Building the Pathway to Net Zero Ready

Content: Achieving Passive House levels of heat resistance is not just about how much insulation you have, but whether that insulation is used effectively. Insulation is most effective when it wraps the building uninterrupted by other materials, but there will always be areas where this is not possible, such as around components used for structural reasons. When a material bypasses the insulation, it is known as a thermal bridge and can significantly reduce the effectiveness of insulation, especially if that material is very conductive, like metal. Minimizing repeating thermal bridges and aiming for continuous insulation where possible, as in the assemblies shown in Figure 1, helps make the most of the insulation within the building envelope. Figure 1. Example Building Assemblies
(left) Exterior insulated steel stud wall. ( middle) Precast insulated sandwich panel. ( right) Larsen truss wood-framed wall. ( Courtesy of the Passive House Institute)
Airtight Construction
Heat can also be lost through the envelope via air leakage. A building’s air barrier is a layer of material (membrane, tape, seals) around the envelope that restricts the movement of air in and out of the building.