Passivhaus Architecture

The technical definition of the Passivhaus standard is:

“A Passivhaus is a building in which thermal comfort can be achieved solely by post-heating or post-cooling the fresh air flow required for a good indoor air quality, without the need for additional recirculation of air.” 

In practice this standard leads to highly energy efficient buildings with exemplar levels of indoor air quality and thermal comfort.

The design methodology is very rigorous, and buildings are a better build quality. A significant advantage is that energy bills for completed schemes are closely aligned to design predictions and this addresses the ‘Performance Gap’ – a significant problem in standard building practice.

As well as having in-house Passivhaus Designer Certification, at Quattro, we also work with external Passivhaus consultants and experienced environmental engineers to ensure we can provide the best quality and most up-to-date service.

We have led teams in evaluating a number of recent projects and their suitability for adopting the Passivhaus standards. This has included Extra Care accommodation and a number of schools. The studies have included PHPP (Passivhaus Planning Package software used for Passivhaus modelling) as well as analysis of the costs and specific design implications.

Our studies are proving invaluable in enabling our clients to make well informed decisions as their projects move forward.