By Ayla Berry, graphic designer 

Daniel Smith, an architect based in our Victoria office, is the newest Certified Passive House Designer at Number TEN. He took the time to answer some of our questions about Passive House.

What is Passive House?

DS: Passive House is a standard for building energy efficiency with the goal of creating a building that maintains a constant comfortable temperature year round.

Why did you decide to become certified?

DS: The operations of buildings world wide constitute almost 30% of global CO2 emissions. I became an architect because I wanted to be a part of the change to lower the annual emissions. The Passive House Certification teaches how to design in such a way that consumes up to 90% less heating and cooling energy than conventional buildings. I want to design buildings of the future that will continue to provide for our community for generations to come.

What do you think the future of design looks like?

DS: The best buildings adapt along with their communities, they shouldn’t have to be torn down and replaced, they should be updated. For designers, I believe this means being strategic about floor plans, allowing for upgradable mechanical systems, and thinking about the multiple uses a space can have over its lifetime.

What’s one thing that most people don’t know about Passive House design?

DS: That fresh air is abundant! Many think that the air tightness required for temperature control limits the fresh air. However, it’s the opposite. Passive House has strict regulations surrounding fresh air requirements as it is an essential part of maintaining humidity. It’s why Passive House designs are unique to the climate they are constructed in.

 Ayla is a graphic designer at Number TEN Architectural Group