passive house
sustainable approach
designed with passion. embedded in our identity.
At Emerald Design build, we’re passionate about creating buildings that perform as beautifully as they look. Passive house isn’t just the certification - its a mindset. It’s about designing smarter from the start: reducing energy use, improving comfort, and building spaces that are better for people and the planet. Whether you’re aiming for full certification or simply want to apply passive house principles, we bring real-world experience and building science knowledge to every step of the process.
PHIUS building principles
Our goal is to implement the passive design strategies whenever possible to create structures that are better for people and the planet. Our most important design decisions are driven by PHIUS Building Principles.
Continuous insulation throughout the entire building enclosure helps to reduce a buildings heating and cooling needs and improves comfort.
Shading and daylighting strategies exploit the sun's energy in the heating season and minimize overheating during the cooling season.
Vapor control design requires attention to detail to maintain appropriate moisture levels in a space.
Thermal bridge elimination minimizes "cold corners," reducing the risk of mold growth on the interior, and improves comfort.
High performance doors & windows (double- or triple-paned, depending on climate and building type) with proper solar heat gain and orientation in design help to control solar radiation.
Mechanical system selection is critical to maintaining comfortable and consistent temperatures, as well as safe moisture levels inside passive buildings.
Airtightness helps achieve durability of the enclosure as well as energy savings by minimizing infiltration of outside air and loss of conditioned air.
Balanced ventilation with heat & moisture recovery (often with an HRV!) is critical to indoor air quality (IAQ). Passive buildings continually exhaust air from bathrooms, kitchens and other areas with stale air and supply fresh air to living and working spaces.