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We speak to James Henderson, senior architect at RDA Associates, about the benefits of the Passivhaus approach to designing and building homes

Do you think self builders are more aware of Passivhaus than other eco principles these days?

Eco houses are in the public domain and knowledge of the Passivhaus approach is creeping in as well. Magazines and TV shows are some people’s sole source of information on this kind of construction, but greater awareness means it’s growing in popularity with self builders. Councils are also starting to recognise this method of building as well.

The beauty of the Passivhaus ideology is that it’s designed by a physicist (Professor Wolfgang Feist) and that’s what gives the system its kudos. Once you input all of the relevant figures about a project you can be certain of what your outcome is going to be – and that’s a dwelling that gets rid of all the draughts and controls internal air quality. The problem with some of the other eco-assessment measures is that you don’t get the same level of assurance as you would from the Passivhaus setup.