
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

5/23/25
Lessons Learned from the Historic Retrofit of Rubin Hall
Article, PHI, Retrofit, Student Housing

12/20/24
Retrofit Highlights of 2024
Article, Retrofit

10/31/24
Johnson City Retrofit Strives to Become a Net Zero Energy Home
Retrofit, Sponsored, Single Family, Article

9/17/24
Deadline for Buildings of Excellence Submissions This Wednesday
Article, NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence, Phius, Retrofit, Resilience
Videos

5/14/25
Calderone Theater’s Journey Toward LEED and Phius Certification | Project of the Month | PHA Live!
PHA Live, Video, Phius

4/30/25
Exploring Abundance and Sufficiency in Passive House Design | PHA Live!
Climate Action, PHA Live, Video

4/23/25
Smart Solarization: Integrating Solar with Passive Homes & Next-Gen Tech | NEXT UP | PHA Live!
PHA Live, Video, Electrification

4/16/25
Kenzi- Sizzling All Electric | Construction Tech | PHA Live!
Affordable Housing, PHA Live, Video
Projects

4/18/24
Colombini Residence
Project Case Study, Mixed Use, New Construction, Single Family, Mass Timber

4/18/24
Bird's Wing Passivhaus + Duplex
Project Case Study, Mixed Use, New Construction, Multifamily, Single Family, Duplex/Multiplex, Mass Timber, PHI

4/18/24
Leichhardt enerPHit
Project Case Study, Mixed Use, Retrofit, Single Family, PHI

4/18/24
Bellwether on Main
Project Case Study, New Construction, Phius, Single Family