A group of LYIT staff of the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction are leading the way in the latest techniques in sustainable building design having successfully completed the Certified Passive House Designer training course recently held at LYIT.

Passive House Standard is a super-efficient building standard that delivers significant savings on space heating and cooling costs.  It was developed in Germany, 'Passiv Haus' standard can be applied to all building types and has been achieved in houses, apartment complexes, schools and commercial properties.  It is now widely influencing designs in Europe and North America.

According to Anne Boner, Head of Department of Civil Engineering and Construction at LYIT, "We like to keep ahead when it comes to emerging trends.  In recent years, sustainability has become an increasingly significant issue in construction as is reflected in our programmes.  Now that lecturers in the department have completed the Passive House Designer training programme, these principles will form an integral part of construction programmes such as the Architectural Technology and Fire Safety Engineering programmes at LYIT."

How does it work?

Passive House design uses a system of combining a compact design that maximises orientation, high levels of insulation, energy efficient components with a defined measure of air tightness and a heat recovery system.  Space heating savings of up to 90% can be achieved compared with a conventional build.  Whilst Passive House construction costs are on average 10% more, the initial outlay is recuperated in only a few years.  Additional benefits include enhanced comfort levels and performance, and the knowledge that the building leaves a low carbon footprint and is in tune with the environment.

Anne comments: "Exciting business opportunities to upgrade existing buildings to Passive House standard will give the construction industry a much needed boost.  Whilst the number of certified passive house buildings in Ireland is low but increasing, there is significant interest as this system of design becomes more widely understood and gains popularity.

Already, many architects and developers are applying elements of Passive House standards to their design, resulting in a range of eco-friendly or low energy buildings that may not achieve passive house certification but from a sustainability point of view are a vast improvement on that achieved from using threshold Building Regulations standard."

Photo caption:
A group of LYIT staff of the Department of Civil Engineering & Construction were joined by architects and other professionals from north and south of the border when they completed the Certified Passive House Designer training course at LYIT.
L-R: Brian McElhinney (Architect), William Moffitt (Moffitt & Robinson Construction Ltd), Tomas O'Leary (Irish Passive House Academy), Michael Boyle (Hamilton Architects), Anna Meehan (LYIT), Tony Carr (LYIT), Anne Boner (Head of Department of Civil Engineering & Construction, LYIT), Michael McBride (Michael McBride Architectural Services), Gerry Kelly (LYIT), and Brendan Gallagher (LYIT).