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The built environment has traditionally required a high degree of energy and resources. But we are now in the middle of a transformation 鈥� from reducing embodied carbon and operational carbon, to net zero pathways, passive design, responsible material choices and climate resilient solutions, our industry is changing鈥� because it must.

Pioneers in the built environment have a responsibility to change the way we work to reduce the impact on the planet. Innovation and change are watchwords among the engineers leading the charge.

Here, learn more about passive design solutions in reducing energy use and emissions, with particular attention paid to Passivhaus: the design standard which provides energy efficiency and high levels of comfort for occupiers.

The need to decarbonise

The built environment must decarbonise, and quickly. If the world is to reach the Paris Agreement temperature goals, reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere is the way to do it 鈥� and the built environment has the power to make a real impact. Because the built environment currently contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions 鈥�  found that the sector accounted for around 37 per cent of energy and process-related CO₂eq emissions in 2021 鈥� our industry can play a central role in providing answers and clear action to decarbonise.

Decarbonisation efforts must apply from the start to the end of a built asset鈥檚 life cycle: on both embodied energy in our construction materials and processes, in addition to the operational energy used to power and run buildings. The built environment has an abundance of innovative and pioneering experts who are ripping up the rule book on how we all work in order to introduce decarbonising practices and to deliver new 鈥� and updating existing 鈥� buildings in a way that works in harmony with the world, not against it.

Prime amongst these practices is an approach that uses passive design solutions to not only reduce emissions generated through mechanical heating and cooling, but to prioritise the comfort and experience of users and occupiers.

Passive design to reduce emissions

The heating and cooling of buildings that we are used to generates emissions through mechanical or electrical heating and cooling practices. These are considered as 鈥榓ctive鈥� designs: they required energy or user interaction to function. But is there is another way?

By choosing passive design, we can not only reduce carbon emissions but reduce associated costs.

Passive design choices are exactly as they sound: they are passive, using natural environmental conditions as far as possible. By using elements like natural light, wind and thermal mass, temperature and lighting can be managed without relying on mechanical systems (such as HVAC and artificial lighting). Examples include orientating buildings in a way that optimises sunlight and natural ventilation, strategically using thermal massing to absorb then release heat, effective shading, insulation to reduce heat loss/gain and using natural ventilation via window placement choices and capturing cross breezes.

By choosing passive design, we can not only reduce carbon emissions but reduce associated costs. This can increase market value, as tenants and buyers are often willing to pay a premium for buildings that are energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

Passivhaus

But what about those who want to move beyond basic passive design ideas and embed them firmly across a building in a way that can be measured, verified and certified? The answer is a rigorous standard that ensures energy efficiency and comfort, with quality assurance that a building will meet high performance criteria: . This is a framework that ensures energy efficient building design, and it is growing in popularity and importance.

Passivhaus has five key design principles: high quality insulation across building envelopes, airtight construction, high performance windows and doors, thermal bridge-free design and heat recovery ventilation. The clear standards that have to be met for a building to be certified as Passivhaus creates a high level of quality and commitment to what this approach can achieve.

Catherine McCarthy is an associate in 海角视频鈥檚 sustainability and physics team, with a background in mechanical engineering. She is a certified Passivhaus designer. She said, 鈥淚 learnt from my mentor Simon Wright, who has recently retired from 海角视频, of how to approach design with a mindset of minimising or even excluding active systems as much as possible 鈥� making buildings work harder, so the systems don鈥檛 have to.

鈥淭he Passivhaus standard is about making a building work hard to drive down energy consumption, and by extension, carbon emissions. What stands out with Passivhaus is the level of robustness and verification of performance that it provides.鈥�

Working to the Passivhaus standard has clear benefits in terms of energy costs and reduction in emissions needed to run a building. But it also plays a role in futureproofing and building in resilience. In a low-carbon economy, lower carbon buildings that are designed for Passivhaus will be better positioned to adapt to future changes in energy prices and availability.

There is human-centred angle, too. Health, wellbeing and user/occupier benefits are high on the list of results when working in this way. Natural light, for example, . Indoor air quality can be improved, as can increased thermal comfort and performance, through these passive design choices.

There are certain regions in which interest is growing 鈥� such as in Scotland. Catherine, who is based in Scotland, said, 鈥淭here are proposed changes to of the building regulations, which would see a Scottish equivalent to the Passivhaus Standard introduced. The second consultation on the proposed standard is due to occur this year, with the proposed mandatory induction of the Standard to come in to affect in 2028.

鈥淏ecause of this, there is a desire here to upskill engineers and architects in Scotland to operating in this way 鈥� in part because of updates to Scottish building regulations and in part because of increasing awareness of energy consumption. A lot of tier one contractors and clients like local authorities are extremely engaged with Passivhaus.鈥�

Passivhaus: from residential, to large and complex buildings

Traditionally, Passivhaus was a residential standard, but in recent years there has been a move towards Passivhaus applying to large and complex buildings 鈥� starting with buildings like schools and offices, then stretching to even more complex buildings like archival storage and swimming pools.

In a way, this is unsurprising: the inherent multidisciplinary nature of complex projects means that the opportunities for input from different experts in passive design are all the greater. From structural and civil engineering to MEP and facades, in a large and complex building (in which 海角视频 specialises), there are many touchpoints at which passive design options can be considered. The principles remain the same, but the scale grows and the importance of collaboration increases.

The Passivhaus standard is about making a building work hard to drive down energy consumption, and by extension, carbon emissions. What stands out with Passivhaus is the level of robustness and verification of performance that it provides

Catherine McCarthy, associate in 海角视频鈥檚 sustainability and physics team

The shift towards Passivhaus鈥檚 adoption on more complex projects is perhaps best understood as being driven by the wider industry and increasing expectations of reducing the impact of buildings on the planet and climate. The built environment has an accepted impact, especially through greenhouse gas emissions. Concerted efforts to reduce this through passive design options are part of a wider suite of actions that built environment practitioners are increasingly adopting.

Passivhaus itself is a sign of dedication to this approach, with a process that ensures a level of robustness and verification of performance.. Buildings working harder and smarter, to deliver elevated levels of performance, is a central tenet of Passivhaus doctrine.

Passive designs in action

A project that perfectly demonstrates the possibilities of passive design decisions 鈥� in larger and more complex buildings 鈥� is 海角视频鈥檚 work on the British Library at Boston Spa. This project is targeting Passivhaus certification. , the national library of the United Kingdom, has a second site in Yorkshire which holds over 70% of the library鈥檚 catalogue. 海角视频 is working with the British library to build a new automated storage facility, using passive climate control in place of traditional energy intensive methods to preserve the materials inside.

Christine Lowry, 海角视频 partner and discipline unit leader 鈥� sustainability, is the project principal for our work at Boston Spa. She said, 鈥淭here has been an interesting evolution of the approach to sustainability and energy use. For earlier storage facilities, the approach was about densifying the collection, which was quite energy intensive as it needed to nail specific environmental conditions.

鈥淏ut now, the approach is that slow temperature fluctuations (within reason) are acceptable. That means we don鈥檛 need as much energy and there are no heating, ventilation or air conditioning systems in there鈥�. These passive design choices have a huge impact on the amount of energy required.

The House at Cornell Tech is another project that demonstrates the possibilities of Passivhaus design. At 270 feet tall, the residential tower on Roosevelt Island in New York City is the tallest and largest residential Passivhaus building in the world. Here, 海角视频鈥檚 multidisciplinary engineering services helped achieve Passivhaus standards, resulting in dramatically reduced energy consumption and operational energy savings while providing superior comfort and indoor air quality.

Where can Passivhaus go next?

Because of the clear sustainability drivers, projects that encompass passive design solutions 鈥� and those working towards the Passivhaus standard in particular 鈥� are likely to become more commonplace in upcoming years. From archival storage to high-rise housing, the principles of Passivhaus are now being adopted and applied with increasing ambition.

As building regulations tightened and more ambitious carbon targets are set, Passivhaus offers a ready-made framework for improved performance 鈥� in all senses of the word.

As Passivhaus thinking spreads and it is embedded earlier in the design process, and across more disciplines, the door is opened to more innovative and cost-effective applications of the standard 鈥� and a cultural change that shifts how we collectively think about buildings: not as static structures, but as dynamic systems that support improved occupier comfort and interactions.