Are there Passivhaus or low energy architects and designers here?

[unearthed]

I have a questionnaire related to Passivhaus - would any of you in this or related work be interested in answering ten questions (some of which may help you think about your own practice).

 

I'm working on achieving a better fit between Passivhaus and related design (also at industrial / commercial scale). Despite Passivhaus being a step change in building performance their gardens and landscapes are the same as conventional; a huge lost opportunity as to want Passivhaus means the client can think ecologically and holistically.

 

Features / considerations would include:

• Using plants to deplete local CO2 for air-intake (plant science and orchard related)

• Manipulating tree shelter to split fog, rain and snow for better stormwater control (exploiting isotopic forms of water).

• Planting-integrated PV arrays and wastewater/septic fields (selected low, and shallow-rooting plants)

• Careful planted shading to control decrement delay..., (also manipulating when a plants leaves fall)

and promoting a deeper level of landscape than most clients are willing to consider e.g. wildfire planning (no one is doing despite drastic changes in wildfire behaviour).

 

I have a background in plant science, ecology and industrial ecology and facilities maintenance as well as landsape architecture and management.

I'f I get any feedback I'll put the questions up here, or on my blog.

 

[Jeff Prince]

On 2/6/2024 at 2:33 PM, unearthed said:

Despite Passivhaus being a step change in building performance their gardens and landscapes are the same as conventional; a huge lost opportunity as to want Passivhaus means the client can think ecologically and holistically.

That has not been my experience as a landscape architect.  Both the Passivhaus and LEED projects I have worked on have involved architects and sometimes owners highly concerned with the landscape’s effect on the building performance  and aesthetics.  It’s rare that anyone is concerned about a building’s effect on the landscape though 😞

 

Anyhow, it would be interesting to know more about what you are going.