What does Passivhaus have to do with designing a healthy home?
Firstly, let’s define unhealthy
In the UK we are used to living in pretty poor-quality houses, maybe without even realising it. If houses are old, they might be draughty, with rattling windows and leaking doors: snails might be nightly visitors to the kitchen and dampness in the walls is just considered normal. If living in a more modern home, then overheating in the summer can be a real problem, as well as lack of space and storage, as size specifications became smaller and smaller, and mass housing has little thought for air and light quality.
Passivhaus - The German word for passive house! A house the uses very little or no energy.
The Passivhaus Standard, is thought to be the ultimate international standard for high performance, energy-efficient construction, providing high standards of occupant comfort and health.
This standard looks first at the materials the building is made from and makes insulation and airtightness, (that just means no leaky bits) the priority. This does mean that the detailing is very considered, especially around windows and doors. In addition, a mechanical system is used to heat and cool the building. These are called MVHR in the business, which means Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery system.
Living in a Passivhaus does not mean you cannot open windows: just that you would not have to open a window, because the air quality and temperature would be so perfect, you just would not need to.
The Passivhaus standard is the best starting point for a truly healthy home. But it does not cover everything that sustainable and ecological building design can be.
So what else should be thought about?
A healthy building is more than just how it works and how energy efficient it is. We also need to make sure that a building has a positive impact on our mental health and social wellbeing, making us feel good, happy and at ease when living, working or socialising: helping us to be our best selves.
Carbon footprint
Passivhaus design is an excellent place to start when designing healthy buildings, however, it is important to also consider what products are used in its construction and the impact these have on our planet. It is important to avoid using high-performing fossil-fuel-based foam insulation (even though they achieve high insulation standards and thinner walls) as these have a high carbon footprint. Not only are they bad for the environment, but they also risk creating moisture issues within your building if installed incorrectly.
The use of natural, recyclable materials and those with a small carbon footprint are better alternatives, and will also reduce the risk of mould growth within the construction.
How do we do it?
All these aspects are what an architect considers when designing your home and some of these values are not always on the wish list of many people. However, when you really think about what makes a home a good place to be, these things are as important as the boot room or TV snug!
We combine all of the above as well as improving the relationship between the indoor and outdoor space and creating spaces that are light-filled, sociable and a delight to live in.
We drill down to find out what healthy means to you as clients, making sure that there is a balance between the practicalities of energy performance, construction cost, the creation of space and what makes you feel good.
Eleonora Bosman (BSc Hons March ARB) is an architect and Certified Passivhaus Designer at Austin Design Works.
Ele has a real passion for the crucial role architecture plays in sustainability in a holistic sense. As a Passivhaus qualified designer, Ele is our ‘go to’ guru on energy efficiency – which plays such an important aspect of all that we do at Austin Design Works.
If you would like to discuss your questions or thoughts, please contact us to arrange a consultation:
