15+ Passive Modern Home Ideas
Whether you subscribe to the guidelines of Germany's Passivhaus Institut or you prefer PHIUS (Passive House Institute US) protocol, passive design principles are surprisingly simple. The philosophy looks back to traditional common-sense design moves such as considering the local climate and sunlight when siting a building and using thick insulation to reduce energy waste. Take a look at the following projects and primers for energy-efficient inspiration.
Find out how Passive House standards are being integrated into affordable housing projects in the United States.
The exterior was clad with LP SmartSide in alternating bands of textured and smooth siding and basement areaways are constructed of site-salvaged brick-filled gabions. Photo by: Eric Hausman Photography
Moskow Linn Architects of Boston tackled this ground-up renovation in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for a client who wanted to maximize efficiency. Photo by Eric Roth.
The Greenest Home by Julie Torres Moskovitz is out now from Princeton Architectural Press; buy it on Amazon here.
An existing 1970s house was renovated to Passive House standards of construction, though the north-facing views and sheets of glass prevented it from meeting true Passive House energy calculations. The architects, Ryall Porter Sheridan, estimate that its "the second most energy-efficient structure on Long Island." Photo by: Ty Cole.
Orient House (2012) on Long Island was an existing structure retrofitted by Ryall Porter Sheridan Architects to conform to Passive House green standards.
Little Compton Retreat in Little Compton, Rhode Island, completed by ZeroEnergy Design in 2011. Photo by: Greg Premru.
The interior of an urban passive house by Loadingdock5, located at 174 Grand Street in Brooklyn. Photo by: Raimund Koch.