As the ongoing energy crisis further underlines the need for energy-efficient structure design, Rehau has highlighted the importance of Passivhaus principles to futureproof new and existing building stock.
According to Rehau, Passivhaus performance criteria can provide installers and fabricators with a key tool for securing new business in the drive to more sustainable properties, helping them to stand out from the competition.
Steve Tonkiss, head of sales South at Rehau, said: “Passivhaus has long been regarded as a hard-to-reach goal in building design, but its focus on thermal efficiency has never been more topical.
“Consequently, fabricators and installers have a major role to play in ensuring architects and specifiers consider the principles when selecting frames for new and retrofit commercial projects, and the major impact window selection can have.
“This is especially important considering recent updates to the Future Homes Standard and ongoing speculation that thermal performance requirements will soon begin to mirror this strict certification – something that is already being discussed in Scotland.
“Indeed, we have often found that while many across the supply chain for these projects are aware of the Passivhaus concept, it is only in more general terms,” continued Steve. “Being able to provide a technical steer on this fascinating topic will be key to a paradigm shift in building design, especially when it comes to window specification
“It is for this reason that we have published a new guide to provide greater clarity on the topic, which can assist fenestration professionals in demonstrating how implementing the technical points rising from Passivhaus can improve property efficiency and sustainability.”
Rehau’s new guide, In The Frame: Passivhaus Windows looks at key factors differentiating Passivhaus windows from traditional designs, including airtightness, insulation, ventilation and thermal bridging, and how these negate the need for additional air recirculation.
Key to the guide is the message that frames do not need to be certified by the Passivhaus Institute – the organisation enforcing these higher standards – to work successfully in either new or retrofit builds.
“This guide has been developed to demonstrate that Passivhaus is not a binary concept, in which a structure achieves the certification or not,” concluded Steve. “Architects and specifiers, guided by fenestration experts, should instead see it as a set of influential design principles that can help foster greener building stock and greater thermal efficiency, which will only become a greater priority during window selection as we move closer to net zero.”
