The second edition of the book Understanding Passivhaus by Emma Walshaw of First In Architecture is out now. The book is designed to provide a brief, clear and complete guide to building a passive home.

A state-of-the-art archive building in Cambridgeshire, which has been built to house Imperial War Museums’ (IWM) rich paper collection, has registered the best airtightness test result ever recorded in the UK – and perhaps, the world.

Building designers need to undertake much deeper analyses of overheating risks, and do so under future climate change scenarios, in order to ensure their buildings can adapt and remain comfortable for occupants in a warming world.

Dangerous overheating in buildings may not be showing up in desktop studies, new research suggests.

The extra cost of building to certified passive house levels – while also scoring an A1 BER – is as low as 0.1%, research at Ulster University has shown.

The need for experienced contractors who can be depended upon to deliver the high quality product that a passive or indeed low energy house demands cannot be undervalued, leading timber frame manufacturer Kudos has claimed.

A major new Dublin development by semi-state electricity company ESB is set to become one of the first major commercial construction projects in Dún Laoghaire– Rathdown to meet the area’s “passive house or equivalent” requirement for all new buildings.

Cork-based renewable heating, ventilation and electrical specialists Energywise Ireland has advised anyone undertaking a low energy build or upgrade project of the value of choosing a single M&E design, supply, installation and commissioning company to ensure smooth integration of all building services. 

Amvic Ireland, the Kildare-based manufacturer of insulated concrete formwork (ICF) systems for low energy and airtight buildings, is currently on site with two new ICF developments in the west of Ireland. 

With Ireland’s renewed focus on delivery of new housing, the country’s leading assigned certification practice, i3PT Certification is urging designers and other certifiers to exercise due diligence in order to avoid replicating past errors. 

Leading passive house consultancy Encraft has advised that the standard is affordable for large scale housing projects — and cheaper over the whole life cycle of a development — once there is some investment in learning and education up front.  

Heat pumps from leading manufacturer Daikin have recently been installed in social housing retrofit projects across the country, helping to cut bills and improve comfort for occupants.

Our editor Jeff Colley appeared on a segment on RTE 1's Eco Eye last night, extolling the virtues of passive house, alongside passive house owner Niall Walsh of KNX Tech. If you missed it, check out this video.

The Royal Institute of British Architects said that, despite some growing pessimism among architectural practices about business prospects, passive house design represents a new and exciting growth area that offers added value for architectural firms.