Seal it tight and ventilate right

The goal: a comfortable, low-energy home, but how do we get there?

Our upcoming webcast explores two different approaches. Using the Passivhaus approach, the building is sealed, highly insulated and operates using heat recovery ventilation when needed. Passivhaus has proven results over 3 decades in Germany and now 60,000 certified homes globally.

On the other hand, proponents of free-running buildings point out that it is possible to design buildings that need no heating or cooling in most Australian climates. Why live in a mechanically ventilated Esky when you could live in a free-running building, cooled by breezes and heated by the sun?

Passions run hot enough to create an urban heat island on this topic. CSIRO has asked representatives from Passive House Association, Earth Building Society, a building scientist and a tropical free running architect to discuss the issues. What is the best approach for Australia? How should regulators accommodate the two approaches? How should we be aiming to live in an altered climate? Join us for an enlightening and entertaining discussion of one of the central dichotomies in sustainable design today.