When Gunter Lang built the first certified Passive House in Austria back in 2001, he had no idea he was launching a family legacy. Nearly two decades later, he and his son Markus Lang run LANG consulting, a firm dedicated exclusively to the Passive House standard. Their work has shaped Austria’s approach to energy-efficient building, […]
Dr. Wolfgang Feist, the founder of the Passive House Institute, has spent decades developing and advocating for a building standard that drastically reduces energy consumption while improving occupant comfort. In a revealing interview with the Passive House Accelerator, Dr. Feist shared his insights on the current state of the Passive House movement, the obstacles it
The journey toward high performance buildings in North America has been shaped by the collaboration of pioneering professionals who refuse to accept limitations. Few partnerships illustrate this better than the engineer architect duo of Lois Arena from Steven Winter Associates and Deborah Moelis from Handel Architects. Their work on some of the continent’s most ambitious
The global push for zero-carbon buildings has found some of its strongest champions in the women leading the Passive House design and construction movement. From architects and engineers to policymakers and educators, women have shaped the principles and practice of Passive House at every level. The Passive House Accelerator highlighted this extraordinary influence through its
Every building project begins with a vision. Architects and owners imagine how the structure will look, how it will function, and how it will perform over decades of use. Translating that vision into reality requires navigating a complex set of technical decisions, especially when it comes to the building enclosure. The enclosure must manage air,
The built environment accounts for a significant share of global carbon emissions, making it one of the most important sectors to address in the fight against climate change. Cities around the world are searching for practical, scalable strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of their buildings. Among them, Brussels stands out as a remarkable success
Nestled in the White Mountain National Forest near Gorham, New Hampshire, the Clay Brook Passive House is more than an elegant two-story residence. It is the first Phius-certified single-family home in the state and holds the lowest HERS score (without renewables) ever recorded in the United States at just 17. These are not minor achievements
The Winthrop Center in Boston stands as a landmark achievement in sustainable urban construction. Rising 691 feet above the Financial District, this mixed-use tower is poised to become the world’s largest Passive House office building, a designation that signals a fundamental shift in how developers approach skyscraper design. By integrating a high-performance building envelope, energy
The transformation of a historic Philadelphia rowhouse into a super efficient Passive House shows how older urban buildings can meet modern energy performance standards without sacrificing their character. Owners Laura and Paul of BluPath Design took on the challenge of retrofitting this aging structure, proving that deep energy retrofits are achievable even in dense city
When Jonathan Kaplan first met architect Graham Irwin, he had never heard of Passive House. What began as a simple renovation consultation quickly became something far more ambitious. Kaplan was so captivated by the Passive House concept that he spent an entire year teaching himself CAD software, not to become a professional designer but to
