A major new Dublin development by semi-state electricity company ESB is set to become one of the first major commercial construction projects in Dún Laoghaire– Rathdown to meet the area’s “passive house or equivalent” requirement for all new buildings.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is inviting businesses to come to the Energy Show 2017, the premier business energy event taking place at the RDS, Dublin on Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 April.

A unique new home in the Forest of Dean, designed by Loyn & Co Architects and nominated for this year’s RIBA Stirling Prize, features the second largest expanse of Internorm’s HS330 large scale glazing system used to date in Europe.

Leading low energy ventilation supplier Sustainable Homes Scotland has advised anyone carrying out a deep retrofit — or building a small low energy dwelling — to consider the benefits of a new generation of decentralised mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems.

Green Building Store is running a training day on 14 February for building professionals, which will offer a practical and technical guide to the cavity wall passive house construction techniques the company has used on its UK projects.

Leading ventilation manufacturer Airflow Developments has added variable air volume (VAV) dampers to its Duplexvent range of commercial mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) units. The VAV systems constantly monitor the air volume supplied and share this information with the ventilation unit. As such, the systems ensure optimum air quality and comfort by allowing the ventilation to respond effectively to the demands of each area of the building.

The UK’s first energy positive classroom has recently opened at Swansea University. Built by Swansea University’s Specific Innovation and Knowledge Centre, the Active Classroom generates, stores and releases its own solar energy.

Naked house, the pre-fabricated passive house construction company, is launching a new ultra-low cost construction option aimed at charitable and community based organisations.

Passive house & low energy building product specialist Partel has announced that it is now offering real-time, physical U-value measurement with the company’s agency for the greenTEG U-value Kit.

The first airtightness test has taken place at phase three of the Silken Park development at Citywest, which is set to be Ireland’s largest residential passive house scheme. A diagnostic initial blower door test, done when the external envelope was completed on one of the development’s show houses, took place on December 12 and delivered a worldbeating result of 0.16 air changes per hour (ACH), well inside the passive house standard of 0.6 ACH and the best result this magazine has ever noted for a masonry building.

Questions have been raised about ventilation standards under the government’s new Warmth & Wellbeing scheme, which provides free energy efficiency upgrades to people over the age of 55 living in Dublin 12 and 24, who experience energy poverty and are also suffering from respiratory conditions.

Report author Prof Diana Ürge-Vorsatz praises “fantastic” Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown passive house policy

2016’s UK Passivhaus Conference, which took place in London in October, was the biggest yet, with 300 delegates and another 100 visitors to the expo that ran in parallel. Also in attendance were students from half a dozen architecture schools, some of whom had risen before dawn for the chance to attend.

Leading timber frame manufacturer Cygnum picked up five awards during one week in October, in recognition of some of the high profile passive-certified projects it has completed in recent years.

A stylish new home in South Manchester has achieved exceptional levels of airtightness through a combination of careful detailing and a high performance structure, provided by the Kingspan TEK building system.

Employers, building owners, designers and developers throughout the world are showing that it pays to invest in greener offices that keep their occupants healthy and happy, a new report from the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) reveals.

ISH, the world’s “leading trade fair for the bathroom experience, building services, energy, air-conditioning technology and renewable energies” takes place from 14 to 18 March 2017 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

At the time of going to press, the Department of Housing, Planning, Community & Local Government was set to imminently launch a public consultation on a major revision to Part L of the building regulations for buildings other than dwellings.

Swegon has launched a brand new generation of its flagship GOLD air handling units, as the company looks ahead to likely demands for greater energy efficiency, flexibility and comfort in future.

Isover Ireland has announced the launch of SpecHub, an innovative new specification and project tracking service. This new service allows registered users access to a host of technical information including CAD and BIM files, access to Isover’s technical team, as well as direct information on Isover Academy training courses and CPDs.