Lenny Antonelli is deputy editor of Passive House Plus. He also writes regularly for the Irish Times, and has contributed to a variety of other publications including the Sunday Times, the CS Monitor, Village, the Sunday Tribune amd the Dubliner. He is currently working on a radio documentary on Ireland's oceans.
Ireland's 1st hemp-built passive house
For self-builder James Byrne, building to the passive house standard was just one element of an approach that aimed to drastically reduce the environmental impact of his house — built from a hemp and lime system, it also features solar collectors, rainwater harvesting and natural wastewater treatment.
Sideways West Cork house rests lightly on the land
This uncertified passive house on Ireland’s south-west coast makes a striking-yet-sensitive architectural statement.
Victorian upgrade hits 80% energy saving
Most energy upgrades to historic homes in architectural conservation zones take a fairly gentle approach to insulation and airtightness — this one did the exact opposite.
Dublin hillside rebuild tackles low energy in stages
Some buildings are beyond saving, such as a south Dublin cottage which had to be knocked to deliver the first phase of a sleek new low energy home.
A2 rated extension and upgrade, Co Cork
This upgrade and extension to a rural home in County Cork cut its energy use by almost 90%, bringing it to the cusp of an A1 Building Energy Rating.
Barn-inspired passive house, Ayrshire
This certified passive house on the west coast of Scotland might look like a traditional hayshed, but it’s certainly more energy efficient than one.
DVS to showcase passive roof lights at Passivhaus Conference
DVS (Daylight & Ventilation Solutions), rooflight supplier to Point6Projects’ outstanding Oyster Falls House in Devon, which is featured in the new issue of Passive House Plus, will be exhibiting at the 2015 UK Passivhaus Conference at the London Design Centre on Tuesday, October 20th.
Business leaders support Dún Laoghaire Rathdown passive house plan
Leading businesses in the building materials sector — including semi-state timber company Coillte and insulation manufacturer Kingspan — have declared their support for plans by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to make the passive house standard mandatory for new buildings.
Learn to build passive with Saint-Gobain this autumn
The Passive House Academy, in association with Saint-Gobain, will run a Passive House Tradesperson course on 21 and 22 October at the Saint-Gobain Technical Academy in Erith, Kent. The course will cover passive house design principles, U-value calculations, thermal bridging and airtightness, insulation materials, passive house glazing, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems, and much more.
Irish whiskey distillery puts fabric first
Passive house is all about using tiny amounts of energy to deliver maximum comfort for those living and working in buildings that meet the standard. So why did Wain Morehead Architects turn to their passive house knowhow when designing a whiskey distillery that won’t have any occupants?