Forum for energy efficient construction returns to Darmstadt on its anniversary

“Darmstadt, Germany. Big anniversary for the International Passive House Conference: from 22 to 23 April 2016 this central event for energy efficient construction will take place for the twentieth time running. Experts from around the world can now submit their abstracts for the conference program. A special focus of the event will be on cost-effective systems for home ventilation, but contributions on built projects and innovative concepts for new builds as well as for retrofits are also highly welcome. The conference takes place in Darmstadt – the city in Germany, in which the first Passive House was constructed in 1991 and where the first international experts’ conference on this subject was held five years later. More information and all documents for the Call for Papers can be found at: www.passivehouseconference.org

The 20th International Passive House Conference will take opportunity of the “double anniversary” to draw a balance. “In October 1991, four terraced Passive Houses in the city district of Kranichstein in Darmstadt were handed over to the client families, the first buildings of this kind,” says Dr. Wolfgang Feist, Founder and Director of the Passive House Institute, also located in Darmstadt. “After 25 years, it is now time to take a close look at the building with all its components and systems”.

The measured average energy consumption for space heating in the world’s first Passive House has remained stable at about 9 kWh/(m²a) throughout the last 25 years. Despite this, the components of the building envelope will be examined in detail during the anniversary year. Is it still airtight? Does moisture arise anywhere, and if so, why? Which components have partly lost their functionality, and what can we learn from this? “We invite all Passive House architects and engineers to submit contributions for the coming conference relating specifically to this subject. And on other interesting topics as well, of course,” says Feist.

The Call for Papers addresses all those who are familiar with Passive House construction and would like to present their experiences to an international audience of experts. The deadline for submissions is 1 October 2015. A scientific advisory board for the conference will make a selection from the submitted contributions in early November.

The International Passive House Conference has been organised by the Passive House Institute annually at different venues since 1996. The 2016 conference will be the second in Darmstadt after the premiere 20 years ago. In addition to the high class plenary sessions of the conference itself, the framework program will include courses for beginners as well as workshops for specialists. In parallel with the lectures, leading manufacturers of energy efficient building components will present their latest products in a Specialists’ Exhibition.”