About SitePass

The aim of this blog is to contribute to a collaborative learning space for Passive House Design and Construction in Ireland. It has been funded by the National Academy for the Integration of Research into Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL). It is a collaborative effort between the Department of Building and Civil Engineering at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and industry partners, Passive House Builders and McGann Scahill Architects.

Mechanical Heat Recovery Ventilation Systems, Design Workshop and Certification Procedures

To finish up the module this semester, I would like to thank David McHugh from ProAir, who gave a very informative talk on mechanical heat recovery ventilation systems to the M.Sc. class and Year 4 of the B.Sc. in Architectural Technology. Passipedia again provides an excellent starting point when examining the ventilation and heating requirements of a passive house. Some key points when considering the design and installation of a mechanical heat recovery ventilation systems are: 75% minimum efficiency requirement; total ventilation electricity demand to be not greater than 0.4Wh/m3; uncertified (by the Passive Institute) HRV system must take 12% off the product efficiency figure. The latest video produced by Energy Quarter on HRV systems in passive houses seems to have been taken down off YouTube but I will post it as soon as it becomes available.

Also, many thanks to Cathal Spellman of passivehouseplans.ie for coming in and hosting the design workshop where the students had the opportunity to discuss their project proposals. Cathal gave a clear outline of the reasons he decided to branch into the area of passive house and how this has created some new business for the company.

Finally, some information on the procedures for applying for certification are provided by the wonderful resource that is Passipedia.

Week 10 Pecha Kucha and Poster Presentation for next week

In preparation for both the Pecha Kucha session and your poster presentation, have a look at the following resources: NUI, Galway have put together a nice site providing design tips for poster presentations including some useful videos; Colin Purrington's section on poster design has a number of good tips and links; the Cornell Centre for Materials Research have some good points in this presentation although I would not worry about picking a software program as PowerPoint should do fine. Have a look at the following videos for some useful guidance but remember that we want an A0 poster in portrait not landscape.

For the Pecha Kucha, remember what I said in class...practice makes perfect. Have a look at the homepage to browse through some of the resources available. We might even video you next week if you are really good. The main aim is to have a bit of fun but also to avoid 'Death by PowerPoint' as the following videos demonstrate.

Week 9 Blog Assignment 2 - Case Studies

This week, the students were assigned their second blog assignment, which is to provide a critical review of a passive house built anywhere in the world. We have a number of case studies from last years class including:

• An Estate in Hannover Kronsberg
• The Denby Dale Passive House
• The Smith House in Urbana, Illinois
• Eco Arch House in Kent
• Another link to the Estate in Hannover Kronsberg
• Glencullen, Co. Wicklow
• The Underhill Passive House in the Cotswolds
• Passive House in Bessancourt, France 
• Bla Jungfrun in Stockhold, Sweden
• The Go Passive House in Maine   

So this year, the students will produce another set of passive house case studies. The passive house database is a good starting point.

Week 9 Blog Assignments

The students submitted the following blog assignments on various articles related to the passive house concept:

• Shay blogged on Passive House: Achievable Concepts for Low Carbon Housing
• Jan blogged on Detailed Energy Saving Performance Analyses on Thermal Mass Walls
• Kevin blogged on the Study of Primary Energy Implications of Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery in Residential Buildings
• Anthony blogged on the Performance Characteristics and Practical Applications of Common Building Thermal Insulation Materials
• Eimear blogged on Traditional, State-of-the-Art and Future Thermal Building Insulation Materials and Solutions - Properties, Requirements and Possibilities
• John blogged on CEPHEUS and the measurement results from more than 100 units in passive houses
• Kieran blogged on the Environmental Impact of Optimum Insulation Thickness for External Walls of Buildings
• Henrik blogged on Embodied and Operational Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Housing
• Diarmuid blogged on the Impact of Thermal Bypass
  

Week 8 Passive House Windows and Doors Prezi

Here is the Prezi version of today's lecture. Check Moodle for details on a virtual webinar that is taking place this evening on 'Designing Plant for Passive House', which should be worth a look.

Week 8 Mechanical Heat Recovery Ventilation Systems Pre-Lecture Resources

Unfortunately, David McHugh of ProAir will not be able to make it in this week but is hoping to make it in next week. This will give us an opportunity to go through the basics of passive windows and doors and heat recovery ventilation systems in class. Have a look at my previous post to refresh your memory on passive windows and doors. Last week, we did mention blower door testing during Tom O'Dwyer's guest lecture. Passipedia has an excellent section on ventilation and why it recommends the exhaust fan system. Michael Hayes of RVR Technology provides a nice introduction to mechanical heat recovery ventilation systems in the videos below.

 

And check out Bill Butcher's discussion the their selected ventilation system on the Denby Dale Project.

 

We will have the opportunity to listen to another guest speaker on Tuesday because Aidan Malone will be giving a talk to the 4th-year architectural students on the design and sustainability strategy of the GMIT library in 1041 at 12.30 followed by a tour of the library and we have been invited to tag along.