"If we act too late, nature will punish us!"

What the Corona crisis teaches us about climate protection, that is what Prof Feist, founder of the Passive House Institute, explains in this interview. Feist talks about parallels and differences between the two crisis and he sets out what will happen, if we don't act now and with responsibility. He also clarifies: "All these measures do not aim at taking anything away from us, but rather they will increase our quality of life:"

Interview ( pdf 1 MB)

From the field into the house wall

On the streets of Seeheim-Jugenheim in southern Hesse, the straw bale house belonging to Benjamin Krick stands out. As a staff member of the Passive House Institute, Dr Krick was sure that the house he wanted to build for himself would definitely be a highly energy efficient Passive House. The subject of his doctoral thesis was straw bale constructions, so it seemed logical to combine the two. Now he just had to somehow get the straw bales into the house's walls… How he managed to do that, Benjamin Krick explaines it in this interview, and also tells us what happens to his shower water. Interview ( pdf 1,1 MB)

"Don't be talked into expensive upgrades"

The kids were excited – construction meant action! The grandparents were sceptial but supportive. Some experts had however published papers, stating that Passive House could never work. Wolfgang Feist was not deterred: "That you could make a home more energy efficient, it was immediately clear." He also knew that he didn't want to be considered "exotic" in the long-term: "exotics have passing value." The Passive House pioneer has reached both goals.

Interview ( pdf 1 MB)

More Passive Houses in paradise

New Zealand offers many natural attractions and a largely pleasant climate. It is therefore surprising that the existing building stock is in a rather abysmal state, with cold and damp buildings. New Zealand consequently has one of the highest incidences of asthma, also in children. Time to change this, Thomas van Raamsdonk thinks. He was involved in the construction of the first Passive House building in New Zealand and he notices a growing interest in extremely energy efficient buildings. In this interview with the Passive House Institute, Thomas van Raamsdonk talked to us about this and much more.

Interview ( pdf 1 MB)