Passive House faces ice-box challenge in Vancouver

July 30, 2017


Workmen lower Passive House model onto a one-tonne block of ice in Vancouver.

The City of Vancouver, which introduced a new zoning bylaw on May 1 that will eventually lead to Passive House standards for all new homes in the city, has set up an ice-house challenge to show the public how Passive House performs.
On June 27, the city placed one tonne of ice in a demonstration structure built to Passive House standards and the same amount of ice in a similar structure built to current B.C. building code standards.
The monitored demonstration project, at Vancouver’s Olympic Village, will be on display for 18 days, until August 14. The public is asked to guess how much ice in each structure will melt, with the city confident that the ice will last a lot longer in the Passive House.
Prizes will be awarded to the person who guesses the correct amount of ice remaining in each house.
Passive Houses are built to the world’s most energy-efficient design standard, which includes extra-thick insulation, and they use up to 90 per cent less energy, according to Passive House Canada spokeswoman Monique Keirian.
“It’s great to partner with Passive House Canada so people can see first-hand how Vancouver’s new standard of zero-emission, better-built buildings make a real difference in quality and comfort of living,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson.
People can monitor the competing ice boxes and enter their estimates online through www.iceboxchallenge.com