Issue 12, Vol 5 Out Now

Passive House Plus - out now!
The first issue of Passive House Plus is out now and available now from Easons and all good newsagents nationwide. Click here to subscribe online and have the first issue of Passive House Plus delivered to your doorstep

Featured Article

EnerPHit
EnerPHit
While the principles of low energy building apply equally for new build and upgrades, the reality is that htting passive levels becomes much trickier when retrofitting. The Passive House Institute have taken this on board and created a retrofit standard that is ambitious but achievable.
Read More >>

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Official magazine of EascaEasca

Announcement

Passive House Plus

The final issue of Construct Ireland was published in August. The magazine has been rebranded as Passive House Plus, with separate editions published for the Irish and UK markets.

The first issue of Passive House Plus has been published as an Ireland only edition – hitting newsagents across the island of Ireland on the 9th of October - with separate Irish and UK editions set to be published from December onwards.

Temple Media Ltd launched Construct Ireland in January 2003 as a dedicated sustainable building magazine, with a title designed not to alienate readers at a time when sustainability was not high priority in the construction industry.

According to editor/publisher Jeff Colley the magazine’s decision to rebrand reflects how far sustainable building has advanced.

“This is our response to an exponentially growing interest in passive and near passive approaches to building and upgrading,” Colley said. “The reaction to our special issue on the passive house standard last year was overwhelmingly positive. Irish people are buying into passive house because it’s all about quality – it’s the perfect response to the substandard construction that abounded in Ireland during the boom.”

Over three out of four domestic new build enquiries to Construct Ireland are from people aiming for certified passive or near passive standards, the latest data from our reader enquiry service reveals. And of those upgrading or extending, half are aiming for passive or near passive standards.

Colley said that Passive House Plus will not take an overly dogmatic approach to the low energy building standard. “We believe in the principles that underpin passive house, but we won’t be partizan cheerleaders. Our readers trust us, and often act based on the information we publish. We have to remain impartial and keep our critical faculties as sharp as possible to maintain that trust.”

Aside from covering low energy building and upgrading, Passive House Plus will cover other aspects of sustainable building, such as renewable energy, materials, water conservation and indoor air quality. “We can’t ignore the fact that people who build passive house and low energy buildings tend to take an interest in many other aspects of sustainable building,” said Colley.


To read a short piece on why Construct Ireland is changing to Passive House Plus click here. The final issue of Construct Ireland includes a detailed explanation of the reasons behind the rebranding.

If you’d like to enquire about advertising in Passive House Plus email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

To subscribe and receive the first six issues of Passive House Plus fill out and return the form on this page.

 
Vol 5, Issue 8
Passive reaches new heights at UCD student halls
UCD
The winner of the sustainability award at the 2011 Irish Architecture awards, Roebuck Castle student residence at UCD's Belfield campus is also the biggest certified passive house project built to date in Ireland and the UK. Tony Rigg of Kavanagh Tuite Architects explains how such a significant building achieved passive results.

Read More >>
Modernist mountain house does passive with style
Modernist mountain house
In the hands of the right architect, meeting the passive house standard needn't involve compromising on design. Construct Ireland visited a recently certified passive house which shows that a seamless low energy architecture is possible.

Read More >>
International selection: Passive house comes of age
International Selection
Box-like, small windows, primary colour renders - there is a common misconception that building to the passive house standard involves sacrificing design freedom for the sake of thermal performance. Not so, argues passive house guru Tom�s O'Leary of MosArt and the Irish Passive House Academy, as his selection of architecturally diverse buildings reveals.

Read More >>
Train drivers building gets sustainability on track
Train drivers building
Built on stilts, entirely encased in recycled newspaper insulation on all sides, and designed to be easily taken apart so that its constituent elements can be reused once it reaches its end of life, Portlaoise Locomotive Drivers Building could hardly be more green. But it is – it's a certified passive house. Iarnr�d �ireann senior architect David Hughes explains how such a sustainable exemplar came to be.

Read More >>
All new build & retrofits must be carbon neutral
Brendan Halligan
Construct Ireland meets former TD and MEP Brendan Halligan in his Baggot Street office to discuss the “appalling” state of the country's building stock, and how Ireland can become a world leader in wind energy.

Read More >>
Opinion - Is passive house going mainstream?
Opinion-SMALL.jpg
Archie O'Donnell, projects coordinator for �asca and the Irish Passive House Association

Read More >>
EnerPHit
EnerPHit
While the principles of low energy building apply equally for new build and upgrades, the reality is that htting passive levels becomes much trickier when retrofitting. The Passive House Institute have taken this on board and created a retrofit standard that is ambitious but achievable.

Read More >>
Rise of the passive house
Rise of the passive house
It could be a reflex response to the shockingly poor construction standards that came to define Ireland's boom years, but the world's leading low energy building standard is starting to thrive in Ireland. As the several case studies following this article reveal, a groundswell of Irish clients, designers, contractors and manufacturers are starting to recognise the opportunities available in becoming early adopters of a standard destined for exponential global growth.


Read More >>


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