UBC Undergraduate Research

The Passive House and its significance for the future of the Canadian construction industry Hiebert, Matthias

Abstract

This report will discuss the significance of the Passive House in Canada. The objective is to show that the Passive House standard is a viable construction method, which will benefit the Canadian construction industry, as well as the consumer - the home owner - and the environment by reducing the environmental footprint and running costs while providing a comfortable home to the owner. This report is laid out to discuss the significance of the Passive House not only in Europe, specifically looking at the origins in Germany (where the first Passive House was built), but most importantly, its significance in Canada. Firstly, the concept of the Passive House will be explained, and guidelines as well as the reasoning behind the creation of the Passive House will be considered. Positive and negative aspects of the Passive House will be analyzed to determine its overall benefits. Next we will look at the components of a comfortable living space, and determine how the Passive House is able to provide such a space by enumerating some of the technical details regarding the construction. Furthermore, we will compare different techniques used not only in Canada but also in Europe and determine what impact the Passive House would have on the Canadian industry, especially the construction industry. To conclude, a case study will be performed looking at how a Passive House can be built in Canada. The performance of said house will be analyzed, and the cost will be looked at to determine whether the Passive House technology is viable in Canada in the immediate or distant future.

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Rights

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International