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News
International passive house conference kicks off
The winners of the international Passive House Award will be announced on Friday 10 September as part of the 25th International Passive House Conference, which is fully available online. Tickets to the conference are still available.
Agar Grove, Larch Corner & Cranmer Road win at Passivhaus Awards
The redevelopment of Agar Grove by Camden Council in London was the winner of the large project award at this year’s UK Passivhaus Awards, which were held on 30 June.
Passive House Plus editor to speak at TEDx
Passive House Plus editor Jeff Colley will be speaking at the TEDx Tralee event on 15 October.
Cavity wall builds can meet RIBA carbon targets, new analysis suggests
A detailed analysis of the embodied carbon of six common build types has indicated that dwellings built with business-as-usual build specs of cavity wall construction and strip foundations may be able to meet the revised embodied carbon targets for dwellings in RIBA’s 2030 Climate Challenge.
Marketplace
Grant heat pumps at centre of NI energy transition project
Leading heating technology manufacturer Grant will be supporting Ulster University and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) in their RULET – Rural-Led Energy Transition – initiative, aimed at reducing or eliminating the risk of low-income households being left behind in the transition to clean, smart, integrated energy systems.
30-08-2021 Marketplace
Lancaster student wins eco design award
The School of Architecture from Lancaster University and Ecological Building Systems UK formed a partnership in 2021 to award the best eco-design produced by first year students of the BA (Hons) Architecture at the university.
13-07-2021 Marketplace
CVC Direct launch MVHR add-on for space heating & cooling
Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems are an efficient way of providing the necessary ventilation with very few heat losses for airtight dwellings. However, MVHR systems can also be used for space heating or back up heating.
13-07-2021 Marketplace
Ecomerchant launches three new eco building products
Leading sustainable product merchant Ecomerchant is offering three new eco building products to the market
13-07-2021 Marketplace
Forbo joins World Green Building Council corporate advisory board
Forbo Flooring Systems has joined the World Green Building Council’s (WorldGBC) corporate advisory board.
Partel launches new Euroclass A2 fire-rated vapour control system
Partel’s newly launched Euroclass A2 Izoperm Plus vapour control system, designed for internal applications in energy efficient buildings, has become the first fire-rated solution in this class developed in Ireland.
Cem-Rock offers best-in-class fire & eco credentials - Greenspan
Leading Limerick and Birmingham-based sustainable building product supplier Greenspan has added a floor substructure board to its Cem-Rock range of magnesium oxide (MgO) sheathing boards.
Soprema launches insulation made from recycled jeans
Soprema is turning workwear into sustainable insulation with its launch of Pavatextil P, a versatile material made from recycled cotton and denim, and with “superb thermal performance and buildability benefits”.
Munster Joinery publishes first Irish window EPD
Munster Joinery has published the first environmental product declaration (EPD) for a window under the Irish EPD system.
IG Masonry support claims 'carbon neutral' status
Innovative manufacturer of brickwork support systems IG Masonry Support has become the first company in its sector – and the first company in the Keystone Group – to achieve “carbon neutral” status.
Xtratherm announce agreement in principle to acquire Ballytherm’s operations in Ireland and the UK
Leading insulation manufacturer Xtratherm has announced the signing of an agreement in principle to purchase Ballytherm’s operations in Ireland and the UK.
A Proctor Group call for consideration of moisture balance issues
A Proctor Group (APG) have stressed the importance of taking account of the HAMM (heat, air, moisture movement) principles when designing buildings, taking account of the effect of insulation type and placement along with the…
Steico set for major expansion with new factory
Leading wood fibre insulation manufacturer Steico has announced plans to build a new factory with three production lines at its recently acquired site in Gromadka, Poland.
Good design key to heating & cooling via MVHR – CVC Direct
A big part of a comfortable household is having good indoor air quality and a comfortable air temperature. Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) is an efficient way of providing the necessary…
Partel’s Izoperm Plus achieves passive house ‘A’ cert
Partel’s Izoperm Plus airtightness system has achieved phA certification from the Passive House Institute, the highest level of component certification, following recent testing.
Superb airtightness result for Manchester ICF house
A new passive house in Manchester, built by Passive Building Structures, has achieved an airtightness test result of 0.31 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals on its final blower…
Aereco awarded Agrément cert for demand controlled ventilation
Aereco has become the first company to receive an NSAI Agrément certificate for ventilation, while also achieving a new ISO 9001 quality management standard for its Irish subsidiary.
Calsitherm boards to be rebranded ‘Red Board’
Calsitherm and Redstone, two of the largest providers of calcium silicate based interior insulation and mould prevention products, have joined forces, with the Paderborn-based family business Calsitherm taking a majority stake in Bremen-based Redstone.
New embodied carbon rules for large London projects
Building life cycle assessment (LCA) experts Bionova have advised architects, developers and contractors to be aware of their LCA obligations under the Greater London Authority’s new London Plan, which came into effect on…
Viessmann launch ventilation system to tackle covid in schools
Viessmann has launched a new ventilation solution to combat the spread of Covid-19 in schools. The company’s new hybrid ventilation unit, the Vitovent 200-P, provides closed rooms with constant air circulation of filtered air.
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Blogs
Measuring humidity, the old school way
A chance purchase on eBay leads buildings physics expert Toby Cambray to admire the aesthetics and mechanics of old scientific instruments.
Shooting the moon
The concept of building back better and greener, popular early in the pandemic, is now in danger of being abandoned in the rush to return to ‘normal’ — but we always have the power to shape what normal is, writes Dr Peter Rickaby.
1970s Arkansas & Illinois prototypes: progress towards passive house
In his latest column, Dr Marc O’Riain looks back at two American prototypes for the passive house standard that embraced heat pump technology as well as principles of superinsulation and airtightness.
Is Enerphit the key to decarbonising existing homes?
With increasing attention turning to cutting carbon emissions from existing homes to meet carbon reduction targets, Duncan Smith, housing asset and energy strategy manager at Renfrewshire County Council in Scotland, argues that approaches which improve comfort and dramatically reduce energy bills must be front and centre.
Do your walls behave like a Jaffa Cake?
Toby Cambray writes on the many lessons that the inimitable biscuit cake can teach us about how building materials deal with moisture.
COP 26 & the future of the Glasgow tenements
Duncan Smith reflects on the social and architectural significance of Glasgow's tenement flats, and their potential place in a zero carbon future, as the city prepares to host COP 26.
Green Homes Grants: where did it go wrong, and what comes next?
The Green Homes Grant scheme failed because politicians failed to heed more than a decade of lessons about how to do retrofit well, writes Dr Peter Rickaby, and now there will be an even bigger hill to climb.
The condensation myth
Condensation within the structure of buildings is a lot more complex than condensation in a sweaty pub on a Friday night, writes building physics expert Toby Cambray.
Will we really build back better?
As governments rush to jump-start their economies, there is a danger that important lessons for how to retrofit homes will be lost in the rush to build. But there is a better way, writes Dr Peter Rickaby.
The world’s first ‘zero energy’ house
Returning to his regular series on the evolution of sustainable building during the 20th century, Dr Marc Ó Riain takes a look at the first serious attempt to build a house with net zero energy use.
The science of filters
How do ventilation filters work, and can they help to protect us against Covid-19? Toby Cambray weighs in on the physics of a subject that is more complex and interesting than you might expect.
Are we the virus?
Taking a temporary detour from his series of columns on the history of sustainable building and renewable energy, Dr Marc Ó Riain takes a look at Covid-19 from the perspective of Gaia theory, and at the relationship between collapsing ecosystems and the emergence of new infectious diseases.
The PH+ guides
The PH+ guide to thermal breaks
Building physics take no prisoners. Anyone designing, constructing or upgrading the thermal envelope of a building to modern energy performance levels is duty bound to understand and minimise thermal bridging, or suffer the consequences. One-man thermal bridging encyclopaedia Andrew Lundberg of Passivate, who teaches thermal bridging analysis at Dublin Institute of Technology, gives some practical advice on why and how to tackle thermal bridging head on, and describes some of the leading innovations in thermally broken components.
19-04-2018 Guides
The PH+ guide to airtightness
Once poorly understood by the mainstream building industry, airtightness is now increasingly seen as one of the most crucial objectives on any building project. Not only is it vital for energy efficiency, it’s also key for thermal comfort and for protecting a building’s structure from dampness and mould. In this comprehensive guide to airtightness, we look at why it’s so important, how exactly it’s measured, and most importantly, how to achieve it on site.
04-02-2019 Guides
The PH+ guide to air source heat pumps
As electricity supply from renewable sources continues to grow, and electricity grids gradually decarbonise as dirtier fossil fuels are phased out, heating homes with electrical technologies like heat pumps starts to make more sense. And in the mild, temperate climate of Britain and Ireland, air source heat pumps are particularly suitable — especially as new build standards of energy efficiency continue to tighten, meaning new homes need less and less energy to achieve comfortable indoor temperatures. But how do air source heat pumps work, what types are there, and how much do they cost to run? Our in-depth guide attempts...
08-05-2018 Guides
The PH+ guide to insulating concrete formwork
As demand for super-insulated and airtight building structures grows, insulating concrete formwork (ICF) is rapidly gaining popularity as a method of construction. But what exactly is ICF, what are its key advantages, and why is it so well suited to passive house and low energy construction?
16-10-2018 Guides
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