Arkular Sustainability Series – What is Passive Design?
Passive
Nature.
Creating Energy-efficient Homes through Passive Design
Passive design involves designing dwellings to specified building standards to respond and adapt to the site and climate for thermal comfort, energy efficiency and sustainability.
At Arkular, we maximise natural cooling, light and ventilation for comfortable homes that are more affordable to run, better for the planet and support wellbeing. Read on to learn more about Passive design and how we apply passive design for high-performing homes.
“Life is not about maximizing everything, it’s about giving something back – like light, space, form, serenity, joy.” — Glenn Murcutt
What is Passive Design?
Passive design works with the local climate to maintain comfortable temperatures within a home.
Effective passive design reduces or eliminates any need for additional heating and cooling sources. Utilising passive design principles can deliver long-term cost savings and thermal comfort and help with reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Furthermore, the inclusion of considered orientation, thermal mass, insulation and glazing is necessary to take advantage of natural heating and cooling.
Passive House Key Design Principles
According to the Australian Passive House Association, a certified Passive House is designed and built in accordance with five simple building science principles:
Principle 1 – Airtightness
An essential part of every Passive House is an air-tight building envelope to ensure that there are limited gaps and cracks.
Principle 2 – Thermal Insulation
Sufficient insulation is needed within the building’s envelope, providing enough thermal separation between the heated or cooled conditioned inside environment and the outdoors.
Principle 3 – Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery
Effectively recovering heat and cool that would otherwise be wasted.
Principle 4 – High-Performance Windows
Low-emissivity double or triple glazing with thermally broken or non-metal frames.
Principle 5 – Thermal Bridge Free
The insulation not only needs to be sufficient in thickness but also needs to be continuous.
An Energy-efficient Tasmanian Family HomeÂ
Hello Tassie! Welcome to the passively designed Huon Valley House. A comforting family home with considered spaces for a work-from-home lifestyle.
Responding sympathetically to the steep site, the built form runs parallel to the contours, nesting down the hill. The dwelling cranks at 20 degrees to follow the landscape, opening towards the north with views across the conservation area.
A highly energy-efficient design, the home is equipped with 140 mm thick stud walls to hold high insulation levels. Additionally, a heat recovery system in the laundry is essential for significantly improved air quality. The home also has specified air tightness at Passivhaus standard (0.6ach @50Pa).
Unilux Isostar Aluminium clad UPVc frames with triple glazing have been selected for their high thermal efficiency. A fireplace with heat transfer ensures efficient use of any heat generated.
A passively designed family home that will help deliver a lifetime of thermal comfort in addition to low energy bills and low greenhouse gas emissions. View the full details of the Huon Valley House here.
A Rural Weekender that Maximises SustainabilityÂ
Back to bush basics. Maximising sustainability and enhancing liveability, the Clydesdale House blends rural aesthetics with passive design principles to create a performing home.
For cooling in summer, the house orientation amplifies cross-ventilation, and the guest pod is so-positioned to shade the main building from the strong westerly sun. By choice, eaves were omitted to maximise sky views enabling the double-glazing and internal and external shading to facilitate cooling and heating.
The north orientation accommodates generous glazing along with protected outdoor living spaces, and in winter, a Nectre wood heater warms internally with logs collected off the land.
The house uses renewable energy including a 5kw solar energy system supplying all the electrical requirements in addition to the outdoor hot tub. Two 25,000L water tanks provide drinking water, separate fire-fighting water feeds off the roof, a smaller tank feeds the spa, and a Rainbank system is connected to the toilets and laundry. The house additionally has its own reed bed system for sewage.
