Passivhaus: the most represented label in the 2019 Green Solutions Awards
Construction21 - La rédaction
With 192 case studies in 36 countries, the 2019 Green Solutions Awards have been an unexpected success and have seen strong international growth. The most represented label is Passivhaus, with no less than 15 case studies from 11 countries as different as Australia, Mexico or Sri Lanka.
It is interesting to look at the diversity of Passivhaus-certified case studies, as this illustrates a trend observed within the Green Solutions Awards over the past two or three years: sustainable construction is being exported increasingly well and, above all, local initiatives are becoming more sustainable.
In this sense, the most emblematic project is certainly that of Altta Homes Norte. The five houses are part of a real estate project like there are dozens of them for the middle classes in Latin America. They therefore meet a true economic and reproducibility logic, with a construction cost per square meter not exceeding 600 euros. A price that should drop even further for future projects thanks to the increased competence of local teams and suppliers of materials.
It is also difficult not to mention the Star Innovation Center passive factory project in Sri Lanka. It is both a model plant and a renovation that is in line with current issues. Thus, if energy efficiency is the order of the day, it is above all the comfort of employees that is taken into account. An innovative and encouraging project in many aspects, which also responds to a real logic of economic profitability. One of the nerves of war, since in regions of the world where the virtual absence of building standards or their implementation policies is the rule, any excessive cost is prohibitive for the reproducibility of projects.
In Europe, the PopUp Dorms project in Austria shows that a passive building is not necessarily a single-family house built on a fixed location. It is a modular and dismountable student residence. It can thus be installed in temporarily free places and offers an original vision of the reconstruction of the city on the city.
Beyond these emblematic projects, the passive nature of buildings is also a fundamental trend in the Green Solutions Awards. Whether buildings are labelled or not, design methods have become a real reference and, in Europe, have led to the multiplication of actors with the necessary know-how to obtain exceptional results (to which we are quickly getting used!).
FIND ALL THE CASE STUDIES OF THE 2019 GREEN SOLUTIONS AWARDS
Find all the Passivhaus case studies: