Passive House and Net Zero Projects

Evolve Gallery of Passive House and Net Zero Projects

Passive House and Net Zero homes perform at the highest levels of building efficiency measurements due to their thermal comfort and unique design details. Evolve is a leader in Ontario for Passive House (Passivhaus) & Net Zero residential construction. On top of that, all of our production and operation staff at our office have completed the Canadian Passive House Institute (CPHI) course. These projects have been designed by Architects like Craig England of ph43 Architecture and PDS Passive Design Solutions.

The projects below are Passive House certified, Passive House Quality and, Net Zero. They all have core elements of air-tightness, high insulation levels, Passive House quality windows, compact designs, and performance which is unmatched. Also, it is becoming more and more common that architects are beginning to combine design with performance because they have realized the positive impact on our climate. As a result, Evolve has seen a substantial increase in the number of clients wanting to pursue Passive House and Net Zero homes because of their pleasing architectural aesthetics and thermal comfortability.

Brief Information on Passive HouseĀ 

  • The Passive House movement began in Germany in 1990 and has steadily become much more popular across Europe and making a serious presence in Canada over the last 5 years. The main principle of following a Passive House design for a home is to aim for the lowest possible kWh (kilo Watts an hour) per metre square of net living space. For that reason, all design ideas and functions flow through the fact that the house has a real and tangible energy target.
  • There are Seven guidelines to a design of a Passive House – air tightness, ground insulation, wall insulation, roof insulation, thermal bridge free construction, certified PH windows, and ventilation.
  • Most noteworthy, the building must follow strict Passive House standard criteria and performance measures. There are tangible and can be adjusted through energy modelling programs as well as through experiential knowledge of which products can have more of an impact than other products.

Brief Information on Net Zero

  • Produces energy locally and much more than the house consumes. Also, an Energuide rating will show the performance of the house as the higher the rating the more efficient the home.
  • Usually mechanical systems are added to a Net Zero house and it has higher levels of insulation. As a result, these mechanical systems will have a significant up-front cost but will allow the house to operate at a much higher efficiency over the long-term.
  • Overall both approaches to home building are in the right direction. Passive House is the ultimate target for all buildings, and is actually being implemented into multi-residential and even multi-storey buildings.