A healthy, productive & energy efficient environment for our kids to learn and grow – Introducing the Passive House School
A Win – Win – Win situation for Parents, Students and the School Board
Schools designed and constructed (or retrofitted) to meet the stringent Passive House Building Energy standard have become more and more popular in central Europe and lately also in the US. Over 30 schools have been built already in the UK, Germany and Austria with many coming in at equal construction costs compared to a traditionally built school building. Also, several European countries now mandate that new public buildings including schools meet the stringent Passive House Building Energy Standard.
Passive House School Neckargmünd, Germany
Main Advantages:
– Savings on utility costs up to 70%,
– Savings on heating/cooling costs up to 90%
– Significantly lower maintenance costs
– Higher durability and construction quality
– High Performance Building enclose eliminates expensive mechnical systems
– Reduced Carbon Footprint
– etc.
Reduced heating and cooling demand by up to 90%
Most importantly: The indoor air quality and climate is much better than in traditional schools: the fresher air makes for healthier, more attentive students.
CO2 Levels
Otto Hahn Gymnasium Germany
The Vancouver school board recently announced to study the Passive House Approach in more detailed to potentially implement the standard in one of their upcoming school projects.
Here are a few Passive House School comparables they could look at:
Montessori School in Aufkirchen, Germany
Oakmeadow Primary School – UK Architype
Otto Hahn Gymnasium Germany
Elementary School in Laterns, Austria
Elementary School in Laterns, Austria
Montessori School in Aufkirchen, Germany
School and Kindergarden in Peine, Germany
A few things to consider when designing a school to Passive House Standard:
– The air flow rates of the school’s ventilation system should be based on health and educational objectives and not on the upper limits of the comfort criteria
– An airtightness of 0.6 ACHis required, though >0.3 is recommended
– Passive House schools should be designed so that besides the usual heating using supply air (if chosen), it is also possible to heat up the rooms to a comfortable level during the preliminary purge phase in the morning.
– Due to the extremely high temporary internal loads in school buildings, particular attention should be paid to comfort in summer
– etc.
If you are interested to learn more about design requirements for Passive House schools or one of the above projects, please do not hesitate contact us today.