High performance building envelope / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Passive House certification - PHI or PHIUS? The Spring House Passive House
Passive House

Everything you need to know about Passive House certification

...building science to dramatically increase the building’s energy efficiency. PHI then put together a certification system based on those very high performance standards - guidelines to help others achieve the same results. Ten years later, at Dr. Feist’s urging, Katrin Klingenberg, a German architect, introduced these c...

Balanced insulation levels in a green home
Efficient home design

Insulation in green home building, a balanced approach to putting it where it does the most good

...high performance construction in the Ecohome Green Building Guide, or see these pages: Choosing the right insulation for the right application Rigid insulation boards - choosing the best ones and where to use them How to design a home that uses less energy Resilient design features for new home construction  ...

Multi-unit Passive House for Heiltsuk First Nation on Campbell Island,
Passive House

Multi-unit Passive House for Heiltsuk First Nation in British Columbia

...Building Envelope RDH Building Science Inc. General Contractor Spani Developments Ltd. Module Fabricator Britco LP Photos Britco LP           Read more about Passive House construction and efficient home building in general on the pages below and in our Gr...

Installing Siding Correctly so that walls can drain in timber frame homes
Exterior cladding

How to install siding

...building envelope) to do their jobs without being assaulted by wind, precipitation and UV rays. Walls in heating/cooling climates like Canada need to be designed to dry during all seasons, not just winter, which is how we most often build them now. Moisture will always flow from areas of high concentration to low, and ...

Thermal image showing where home heat loss is occurring.
Insulation and soundproofing

How Does Insulation Work?

...higher. The cold emanating from exterior walls and windows can be so extreme at times that it causes a noticeable air convection, creating the sensation of a draft. How do we combat this? Again, we end up cranking the thermostat higher until we feel comfortable. RADIATION (in this non-nuclear case) refers to heat trans...

Choosing a building envelope
Wall assemblies - new construction

Choosing a building envelope - starting with the perfect wall

...highly recommended when building like this in the colder more northern regions. Wood wall framing with 2x4 and 2x6 studs: Wood frame construction with timber studs image via Wikimedia This is the most common method of home building, and the one that people in North America & Canada are most used to seeing. Buildi...