PHIUS (Passive House Institute US) launched the new PHIUS+ 2015 passive building standard on March 25.
PHIUS says the building energy performance target is in the “sweet spot” where cost effectiveness overlaps with aggressive energy and carbon reduction. It promises to ignite tremendous growth in the application of passive building principles, the organization says.
Formally known as PHIUS+ 2015 Passive Building Standard: North America, the standard is the product of nearly three years of research conducted by PHIUS in partnership with Building Science Corporation under a U.S. Department of Energy Building America grant.
The effort employed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s BEopt tool (for cost-optimizing) to develop optimized design guidelines for use in North America’s wide-ranging climate zones.
Passive building has gained great attention in recent years, but the adoption of passive principles—superinsulation, airtight envelope, energy recovery ventilation—has been slower than hoped because of cost and other disincentives. The new formula and standards remove those obstacles, PHIUS says.
Related Stories
Sustainability | Jul 10, 2017
British Columbia receives its first WELL certified workplace courtesy of Perkins + Will
Over 100 wellness features are incorporated into CBRE’s Vancouver office.
Sustainability | Jun 29, 2017
The Dutch ‘Windwheel’ wants to create a new sustainable landmark for Rotterdam
The sustainable structure will be a mixed-use development with a hotel, apartments, and office space.
Hotel Facilities | Jun 29, 2017
Luxury, plant-covered hotel unveiled for site near the River Seine
Kengo Kuma is designing the hotel, which will feature a large garden and a plant-covered façade.
Sustainability | Jun 28, 2017
Mohawk College will have one of the region’s first net-zero energy institutional buildings
The project’s net-zero goals led to the development of a new curtain wall system.
Building Team | Jun 27, 2017
Bruner Foundation announces 2017 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence gold and silver medalists
The SteelStacks Arts and Cultural Campus in Bethlehem, Pa., receives the gold medal and $50,000.
Green | Jun 23, 2017
Want a healthy building? Follow this primer on two new wellness standards
Since its development in the 1990s, the LEED rating system has been applied to over 19.1 billion total commercial square feet.
Codes and Standards | Jun 21, 2017
World Green Building Council: All buildings must be net zero by 2050 to avert 2°C rise
Building efficiency essential to tempering global climate change.
Green | Jun 16, 2017
Could this become London’s greenest building?
Curl la Tourelle Head Architecture wants to create a school powered by the River Thames.
Green | Jun 15, 2017
45-meter spiraling tower lets you walk above the trees
A 600-meter treetop path culminates with a 45-meter-tall spiraling observation deck.
Green | Jun 14, 2017
After Paris: What’s at stake for the building industry
In the wake of President Trump’s unilateral decision to withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, many in the building industry have optimistically pointed to unstoppable market forces pushing the sector towards a post-carbon future.
