Heidelberg-Bahnstadt in Germany is a new mixed-use district located just 60km south of the first ever Passivhaus construction in Darmstadt. The district covers 116 hectares and will house approximately 6,500 people, all of whom will have a healthy home, which will be affordable to run chiefly thanks to the Passivhaus standard being adopted as a universal construction method.
Category: Design
I no longer feel the need to loudly extol the virtues of Passivhaus. Whilst they are far-reaching in terms of energy, health and comfort, these are not the factors that make the sale for budget-driven projects. The question on the lips of those holding the purse strings is “what does it cost?”. This is the case for any project, Passivhaus or not.
The workshop, Delivering Cost Effective Passive House in Ireland, presented the opportunity to reconcile sustainable solutions with the realities of a capitalist industry.
Sustainable architecture is sometimes tarnished with accusations of being boxy or samey. This slideshow of residential Passivhaus projects in Germany counters such unjustified accusations. Passivhaus is purely a performance standard and need not inhibit the creativity of its designers – these beautiful buildings provide the proof.