passive_house_video:speakers_corner
Welcome to the Speakers' Corner! Here you can find lectures from the past International Passive House Conferences. Listen to Passive House experts sharing their innovative research and perspectives on a whole range of different topics! Please not that only some recordings are publicly available. iPHA members enjoy exclusive access to all recordings (indicated by the logo in the description). We hope you enjoy our new conference lecture series!
Important Note: Watching the recordings on the Speakers' Corner on Passipedia does not earn you continuing education credit points for certificate renewal.Videos with the iPHA logo are a member benefit and can only be viewed by users who are logged into their accounts.
| 28. International Passive House Conference 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Topic | Speaker | Summary | |
| 1 | Review and outlook: 35 years of Passive Houses | Wolfgang Feist, Jessica Grove-Smith , Passive House Institute | 35 years ago, the physicist Wolfgang Feist, together with four family members, built the first passive house in Darmstadt. In doing so, he laid the foundations for a global revolution in construction and renovation. What was a novelty back then has now been replicated tens of thousands of times worldwide and delivers on its promises. Five years later, in 1996, Wolfgang Feist went on to found the Passive House Institute. At the International Passive House Conference in Essen, he explains how it all came about and, together with Jessica Grove-Smith, looks back on 35 years of the Passive House and 30 years of the Passive House Institute – whilst also looking ahead to what lies ahead. |
| 2 | Sendero Verde: Passive House at scale for fully affordable, mixed-use community development in East Harlem, New York City | Deborah Moelis, Dragoș-Ionut Arnăutu | Sendero Verde is a pioneering affordable housing project with 709 residential units in East Harlem that combines residential use, nonprofit facilities, and publicly accessible open spaces. Starting in 2017, the Passive House Institute certified the three buildings, focusing on the challenges posed by high occupancy density and internal loads in dense urban development. This presentation highlights the project’s social and urban planning vision, the cost-effective strategies for the building envelope and building services that enabled the Passive House standard to be achieved, and the key insights for realizing low-carbon, highly energy-efficient residential buildings on tight budgets and under complex conditions.  |
| 3 | From niche to necessary: scaling Passive House for a resilient future | Michael Ingui | The Passive House has the potential to evolve from a niche innovation into a global standard for sustainable buildings. Such a transition requires not only technical excellence, the implementation of the standard must also be compatible with cultural traditions and existing infrastructure. It also depends on collective commitment. The focus is on estiblishing a common framework for how Passive Houses are perceived, evaluated, financed, and communicated. This presentation examines this desirable transformation from two perspectives: the practical insights gained from scaling up Passive House projects, and the overarching strategies that can promote their adoption across different building types, organizations, and regions. |
| 4 | Uniting 7 faculties and a concert hall at the University of Oxford, with Passivhaus! Quality assurance and certification challenges of a complex university building | Will South, Laszlo Lepp | The University of Oxford aligns its building strategies with ambitious climate goals, long-term energy efficiency, and high indoor environmental quality. The Passive House standard has long proven its worth even in simple non-residential buildings. This presentation will examine the challenges involved in implementing the Passive House standard in a highly multifunctional building. In addition, practical, interdisciplinary strategies will be presented to ensure construction quality in large-scale projects. |
| 5 | PH Leisure Centres: Evolution from Eclipse & Cranleigh | Jason Fitzsimmons , Josh Wardle, Matt McCreith | A leisure center as a Passive House? Two British leisure studies demonstrate that the Passive House principle is also suitable for this type of use: the Eclipse Leisure Center (scheduled for completion in 2024 and currently in the final phase of Passive House certification) and the Cranleigh Leisure Center (scheduled for completion in 2026). The speakers draw lessons from these projects and present successfully implemented solutions to challenges such as complex thermal zoning, an extensive piping network, and an oversized ventilation system. In addition, they discuss the payback period in detail and highlight future prospects for leisure centers built to the Passive House standard. The Eclipse and Cranleigh projects underscore that Passive House methods are perfectly suited to meeting the complex operational, spatial, and energy requirements of recreational facilities. |
| 6 | District-level solutions: From modelling to 100 buildings monitoring | Ilektra Mancini, Dimitris Pallantzas | The EnerPHit for apartment blocks in warm climates has been evaluated. The study involved carrying out energy audits and monitoring measures in 80 flats, during which room temperature, relative humidity and CO₂ concentrations were recorded. Infrared thermography, tenant surveys and interviews were also discussed in the session. The study concluded that EnerPHit could solve Greece's housing problems. Further training for engineers and technicians is required, as well as greater use of prefabrication and support for community-led renovation initiatives, to stimulate demand for highly energy-efficient solutions. |
| 7 | Transitioning to Passive House on a large scale-residential project in Ireland | Sam Roberts-Law & Guillermo Fernandez Camacho | Dublin embraces the Passive House standard on a grand scale: this presentation outlines the journey from conventional construction to the Passive House standard across a total of 1,056 residential units in two major construction projects in Dublin, Ireland. The team at Altu Architects led this transformation as architects, Passive House planners identify the technical and procedural factors that are key to successfully implementing the Passive House standard. |
| 8 | How can a Passive House residence improve quality of life for elderly disabled people? | | Anne Vogt | Spain’s first certified Passive House residential complex for older people with disabilities was built by the NGO Círvite. The presentation highlights the challenges encountered during the construction phase, the building costs, and the benefits the Passive House offers its residents, including a significant reduction in pollutants, odours and noise. The Passive House residential complex offers excellent air quality and thermal comfort, thereby enabling its 44 residents to age inclusively and with dignity – whilst being as environmentally friendly as possible. |
| 9 | From design decisions to measured reality: A comparative study of passive and conventional houses in Konya | Bilal Gökgün & Ceren Gül Sungun | Interest in energy efficiency in the Turkish residential sector has increased in recent years.This study presents a comparative analysis of the measured performance data of two residential buildings of a similar scale and occupancy conditions in the same neighbourhood in Konya. Both buildings were designed by the same architectural practice and employ the same structural system, with comparable spatial configurations. The results demonstrate that the space heating energy demand in the Passive House is approximately 16 times lower than in the conventional building. CO2 concentrations and relative humidity also remain within a more stable range and the acoustic comfort is significantly higher, underlining that the Passive House standard is a practical, measurable and verifiable solution applicable to heating dominated climatic regions in Türkiye. |
| 10 | Techno-economic assessment of battery and hydrogen energy storage in a positive energy multi-apartment building | Elisa Venturi | As part of the European REN+HOMES project, a seven-storey, multi-apartment demonstration building is under construction in Innsbruck city centre, Austria. Designed to meet Passive House Premium standards, the building incorporates a highly efficient thermal envelope and a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. Additional energy-saving features include shower drain water heat recovery and a low-temperature thermal emission and distribution system to minimise energy losses. The techno-economic analysis presented in this lecture identifies the economic thresholds for storage technologies to remain financially viable under real-world conditions, including the influence of photovoltaic oversizing and system integration. |
| 11 | Passivistas: The Tavros Project — First EnerPHit multi-family building in Athens | Maria-Isavella Gkadri | The Tavros Project is the first multi-family residential building in Athens to pursue EnerPHit Plus certification. It shows that the Passive House standard can successfully be applied to existing multi-family buildings in dense Mediterranean urban areas. The project also showcases how such a retrofit can serve as a living laboratory, integrating technical innovation and providing on-site training for refugees and local technicians, as well as structured educational activities for students and professionals. |
| 12 | Restoring heritage with performance: Integrating traditional building techniques in a Passive House retrofit | George Kontaroudis | The case study examines the EnerPHit retrofit of a 100-year-old three-storey townhouse with a 1970s addition on the Greek island of Skopelos. It demonstrates that Passive House retrofits in traditional Greek island settlements are both technically and economically feasible, delivering healthy, comfortable, and energy-efficient buildings, with the primary challenge being the availability of skilled local contractors. |
| 13 | Paseo Passiveana 19, Madrid - a difficult story | Micheel Wassouf | The retrofit of the historic palace-house (Casa Palacio) at Paseo de la Castellana 19 in Madrid, completed between 2023 and 2024, demonstrates the key factors required to achieve the EnerPHit standard. The project emphasises the need to balance winter and summer performance, the importance of rigorous construction quality control, as well as the challenges of creating airtightness in historic buildings and integrating building services within limited spaces. |
| 14 | Mini-split heat pumps as the sole heat source in a retrofitted detached house | Sebastian Weik | This case study demonstrates the EnerPHit Plus retrofit of a 1960 detached house using Passive House components, a mini-split heat pump, and a photovoltaic system to achieve high energy performance and renewable energy generation. The project demonstrates that this approach is a financially viable solution for retrofits that will provide comfortable living conditions and a predictably good energy performance. |
| 15 | Creating a sustainable home with DIY ingenuity | Camille Sifferlen | This presentation demonstrates that even with limited construction experience and a tight budget, it is possible to create a comfortable, healthy and energy-efficient living and working environment. A 120 m² two-story house located in eastern France was constructed using prefabricated timber walls insulated with blown-in cellulose, wood fibre, and a blend of linen, cotton, and hemp. The unheated attic was insulated with cellulose, while XPS insulation was used for the floor slab. The project is pursuing Passive House certification. Further information can be found in the Passive House Database (project ID 7330). |
| 16 | Climate-friendly retrofits in Riedstadt – How a municipality can succeed in the energy transition | Benjamin Krick & Jürgen Schnieders | The presentation explains how the town of Riedstadt (population 24,000, near Frankfurt) aims to become climate-neutral by 2045. The town’s strategies include EnerPHit retrofits, heat pumps, renewable energy and integrated urban planning. As part of the ‘Climate-Friendly Retrofits in Riedstadt’ project, the town is collaborating with the Passive House Institute. The speakers demonstrate that comprehensive energy-efficient retrofits, supported by local policymaking and the commitment of the local community, provide a practical and cost-effective way to achieve the town's climate targets. |
| 27. International Passive House Conference 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Topic | Speaker | Summary | |
| 1 | Energy efficient retrofits – NOW! | Wolfgang Feist, Jürgen Schnieders, Jan Steiger, Passive House Institute | Low operating energy consumption of the existing building stock is crucial for climate protection. It also facilitates renewable energy supply. The energy expenditure for production is usually less significant. Many examples demonstrate how exemplary building renovations can be implemented in practice. |
| 2 | EnerPHit for a climate-resilient St. Johann (EnerPHit-for-2040) | Rainer Pfluger, University of Innsbruck | A roadmap to climate neutrality by 2040 was developed for the market town of St. Johann with districtPH. In addition, municipal energy monitoring and the potential offered by EnerPHit building refurbishment, PV expansion and efficiency improvements are presented using the example of the local indoor swimming pool. |
| 3 | Serial refurbishment to PH standard | Tanja Schulz | If the building envelope is ambitiously renovated and the qualities in terms of airtightness, thermal bridges and ventilation with heat recovery are right, then well-coordinated HP systems can be used almost anywhere. In detail, all components must be sensibly matched to each other: the heating and cooling capacity of the building must be carefully determined and then the heat output of the heat pump must match the application and the respective building. |
| 4 | EnerPHit+ implementation in multi-family houses worth preserving – SüdSan research project | Martin Ploß | In the SüdSan project, 2 apartment blocks from the 1940s and 1950s were refurbished with passive house components. The larger building achieves the EnerPhit+ standard and the additional costs for the high-quality energy design are relatively low, while the general refurbishment costs are very high. |
| 5 | Thermal component activation as retrofitted heat transfer systems in building renovations | Tobias Hatt | Two pilot buildings worthy of preservation were refurbished to EnerPHit Plus in the SüdSan research project. One building with subsequent activation of the existing wall, the other with low-temperature radiators, as there was previously no heat dissipation system. The differences are shown in simulations. |
| 6 | Sustainable building and renovation | Benjamin Krick,Johannes Seibert | Sustainable buildings require decarbonisation (stopping the burning of carbon), the efficiency revolution and the use of renewable energy. Carbon sequestration and the circular economy can also help. We illustrate this with a parameter study. |
| 7 | EnerPHit retrofit of a Gründerzeit building in 1150 Vienna, Kauergasse 2 | Helmut Schöberl | EnerPHit refurbishments are an important basis for overcoming the problems of climate change and the best preparation for the future challenges of existing buildings. The three flagship EnerPHit refurbishments of Wilhelminian-style buildings in Austria are presented. |
| 8 | Passive House in the existing building stock | Gerhard Kopeinig | The presentation highlights the wonderful opportunity presented by state-of-the-art modernisations of the existing building stock and underlines that existing buildings with an optimised thermal envelope and the efficient building services concept of the Passive House standard represent the future for all building categories in use, all construction ages, and all regions. This is shown using specific examples of EnerPHit refurbishments of buildings protected as historic monuments (Velden Music School, Mondsee Town Hall and Semriach School), the EnerPHit Plus refurbishment of a residential complex in Bolzano as well as the retrofit of a detached house in Felden am Wörthersee. |
| 9 | OeAD GUEST HOUSE – Karmelitergasse 9, Innsbruck | Günther Jedlicka | In 2005, OeAD student housing built the world's first student residence in Vienna to the Passive House standard. After 19 years, the client is still highly satisfied, as are the roughly 20,000 students who already lived here. Since then, a further 13 Passive House halls of residence have been built, 8 of which are presented here. The latest Passive House hall of residence is due to open in the centre of Innsbruck in 2025. In this video, the architect Betina Hanel presents this guest house project with 173 beds in 159 rooms in detail. |
| 10 | Recovery of warm water, electricity, nutrients, and water from on-site waste water recycling | Ernst Schriefl, Helmut Schöberl | The aim is to utilise the energy content of wastewater where it is highest, i.e. directly at the building. A sustainable wastewater system of this kind, customised to the specific needs on site, enables not only heat recovery but also the recovery of useful water, electricity and nutrients |
| 11 | Active volume flow control as a passive component in a Passive House – a new development | Gabriel Rojas | Cost-effective and precise volumetric flow controllers are an important component for the realisation of passive houses. A new approach, conceived in terms of ‘energy harvesting’, is intended to enable an active volumetric flow controller that supplies itself with electricity. |
| 12 | Away from oil and gas! Getting ready for the Renewable Energy Package with EnerPHit | Helmut Schöberl | The renewable heat package will create a lot of movement in Austria. Refurbishment to the EnerPHit standard is a forward-looking basis for switching to renewable energy sources, especially in order to be optimally prepared for future legal developments in the building sector. |
| 13 | Revisited: Sande Passive House sports hall: Proof that you can build on sand! 15 years on: experience and results. | Bernd Steinmüller | As more than 10 years of measurement results and experience have shown, the ambitious pilot project has far exceeded its objectives and provided numerous impulses that need to be strengthened and consistently rolled out in the interests of the urgently needed energy and climate transition.. |
| 14 | Serial renovation to Passive House Plus standard: Gaining momentum for refurbishment, climate neutrality, urban development, architecture and accessibility | Michael Kölmel | Building renovations are necessary but often challenging. However, if energy-efficient renovations are carried out at the same time, the rewards are high: significant energy savings, low energy costs and a high level of living comfort. Nevertheless, the effort involved remains a hurdle: apart from investment costs, there is dirt, noise, restrictions and uninhabitability during a lengthy period of work. This is where serial renovations come in: extensive, standardised prefabrication. Depending on the initial situation, even including a building envelope, is intended to simplify renovations, significantly reduce time spent on site, and of course save a lot of energy. However, quality often falls by the wayside. ELLER KÖLMEL Architects demonstrate how serial renovation can be successfully combined with highly energy-efficient measures to create sustainable buildings and neighbourhoods in their projects. This additional service of 'convenient' implementation and a pleasant construction site for all involved does not come for free. With appropriate funding, the concept is being implemented in social housing construction. |
| 15 | Retrofit. Have an impact! - Summary of the conference and outlook | Jessica Grove-Smith; Jürgen Schnieders; Jan Steiger | What are the main conclusions that can be drawn from the 27th International Passive House Conference in Innsbruck? Three CEOs of the Passive House Institute sum up the conference presentations and underline the most important takeaways of the rich, two-day programme which again showed that we already have effective instruments to mitigate climate change in the building sector. Now is the time to implement them. Hence, the imperative to dial up all retrofit efforts is clear, always in line with the motto: “If you retrofit, then do it properly and have an impact!” |
| 16 | Mandatory Passive House – The Massachusetts Story | Paul Ormond | Within 12 years between 2010 and 2022 the Massachusetts State, resp. most of its cities and towns did not only transform the main goal of their building codes from Energy Efficiency to Decarbonisation, but did voluntarily decide to enact a passive house standard for residential buildings as a mandatory standard. This thrilling story is now an example for other States in USA and not only there. |
passive_house_video/speakers_corner.txt · Last modified: by dvoelp