Passive House practitioners aim to spread standard beyond single-family homes

The growth of the Passive House standard in the U.S. has been slow, but it could still produce significant influence, according to a recent panel of industry experts.

That group is looking to expand the standard beyond single-family houses to projects like schools, hospitals and high-rise towers, according to a Construction Dive report. Today, there is roughly 475,000 sf of certified Passive House project square footage in the U.S., including 16 multifamily projects, seven commercial buildings, and one school, in addition to 111 single-family homes.

Passive House Institute U.S. (PHIUS) wants to expand acceptance of the standard in the commercial and institutional markets. As more buildings achieve certification, they provide proof-of-concept and data that can inform design decisions and influence new codes and regulations, and thereby create momentum for the standard.

Local governments will be able to collect the data from new Passive House buildings and help inform decision-makers in the built community about how the standard achieves results in sustainability. Optimistically, Passive House could thus have a larger influence than might be expected from just looking at the number of certifications.

Walgreens announced plans last week to build one of the nation's first net-zero retail stores. The Evanston, Ill., location will utilize solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal technology, LED lighting and ultra-high-efficiency refrigeration to produce energy equal to or greater than the building consumes.

Green roofs will be a hallmark of Samsung's Silicon Valley complex.

| Feb 28, 2013

Greeening Silicon Valley: Samsung's new 1.1 million-sf HQ

Samsung Electronics' new 1.1 million sf San Jose campus will support at least 2,500 sales and R&D staff in the company's semiconductor and display businesses.

| Feb 25, 2013

HOK sustainability expert Mary Ann Lazarus tapped by AIA for strategy consulting position

Mary Ann Lazarus, FAIA, LEED® AP BD+C, has accepted a two-year consulting position with the American Institute of Architects in Washington, DC. Her new position, which begins March 1, will focus on increasing the AIA's impact on sustainability across the profession. The St. Louis-based architect will continue consulting at HOK.

This hospital at Virginia's Fort Belvoir recently achieved LEED Gold.

| Feb 22, 2013

Defense department report: Green design saves taxpayers money

An independent report on energy efficiency and sustainability standards used by the Pentagon for military construction affirms the value of LEED-certified high performing buildings to America’s military and U.S. taxpayers.

| Jan 25, 2013

Caution on UCLA study of worker productivity at 'green companies'

A new report from researchers at UCLA and France's University Paris–Dauphine claims that workers at environmentally conscious companies are more productive than their counterparts at nongreen companies.