One of the most urgent challenges in buildings today is how to affordably retrofit existing ones. Too much of our current building stock wastes energy and is unhealthy or uncomfortable to occupy, especially in low-income communities and communities of color. In order to limit global warming to 1.5°C, the International Energy Agency's Net Zero by 2050 Roadmap urges a step jump in "zero-carbon-ready" retrofits to a rate of 30 million dwellings per year through 2030. Passive House retrofits provide a proven pathway to dramatically reduce the energy use and operation carbon emissions of existing buildings of all types. Both PHI and PHIUS offer retrofit certification pathways, and project teams around the world are tackling retrofits of everything from single-family brownstones to apartment towers.
Read, view, and listen to Passive House retrofit examples and insights in the articles, videos, and podcast interviews below.
Articles
3/5/24
Adaptive Solutions: Retrofitting Buildings with Sustainable Systems
Article, Sponsored, Retrofit
2/26/24
Updating for Efficiency While Preserving the Past
Sponsored, Retrofit
2/16/24
A Life-Cycle Assessment of a Retrofit
Article, Retrofit
1/31/24
Figuring Out Deep Retrofits in Real Time
Retrofit
Videos
3/13/24
Making the case for ERV's in Multifamily Buildings
Video, Mechanical and Ventilation, Multifamily
2/28/24
Don't Judge a House by its Cover - Better Stories Means Better Buildings
Video
2/21/24
The Pointe at Hills Farm: Design Insights & Construction Prep
Video, Multifamily
2/14/24
A Next Gen Look at "Upfront CA"
Video
Podcasts
3/19/24
179: Future-Proofing with Passive Design: The Cornerblock Story, with Ben Sinclair
179: Future-Proofing with Passive Design: The Cornerblock Story, with Ben Sinclair,
3/12/24
178: The Strengths of Retrofitting
178: The Strengths of Retrofitting,
3/6/24
Reimagining Buildings with Sharne Bloem of Team Mahali
Reimagining Buildings with Sharne Bloem of Team Mahali,
3/5/24
Reimagining Buildings with Vincent Martinez of Architecture 2030
Reimagining Buildings with Vincent Martinez of Architecture 2030
Projects
12/13/23
Greenwich Park House
Detached single-family house, New construction, PH Institution (PHI), timber
11/28/23
Hobson Place
Multi-family Dwelling (mixed use), Multi-family Dwelling (student housing), New construction, PHIUS, mixed
10/10/23
Vital Brookdale
Multi-family Dwelling (affordable housing), PHIUS, masonry, New construction
9/18/23
Bergen Street Passive House
project, row-house-townhouse-individual, PH Institution (PHI), masonry, Retrofit