By Lloyd Alter, Source: Treehugger

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“Passive House” has always been a silly name for a terrific idea and a bad translation of the German Passivhaus; not only because it is not truly passive, but also because haus does not just mean house as we think of it in English; it can be any kind of building.

For instance, this Passivhaus Bruck in Changxing, China, in the hot and humid Yangtze River Delta, contains 46 residential units, including 36 one room staff flats for employees of builder Shanghai Landsea, 6 two room executive suites and 4 model apartment suites that people can check into to try out living in a Passivhaus environment. Designed by Peter Ruge Architekten, it’s part of the company’s plan to develop a research center to “test, improve and implement innovative, energy saving and sustainable building practices in China.”

There are some people in the Passive House US gang who keep saying that the passivhaus standard doesn’t work for hot humid climates, but it seems to work here:
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In the hot summer, the pilot project, which has been certified by the international Passive House Institute, is protected from too much sun by fixed shading elements. Pleasant indoor temperatures at all times of the year are further provided by a well-insulated building envelope, a highly efficient ventilation system and triple-glazing of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The rest of the will is shaded by coloured terracotta rods.

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Dr. Wolfgang Feist, founder of Passivhaus and Director of the Passivhaus institute, enjoyed his visit and says in a press release: “My stay there was very satisfying, and I’m sure that many Chinese guests will also be impressed and convinced by the experience of an overnight stay in this Passive House building.”

Read the rest at: Treehugger