This week, we gathered in Belfast for the UK & Ireland Passivhaus Conference. A couple of days surrounded by architects, engineers, builders, certifiers, and policymakers — all there to talk about buildings that work.
And that’s the thing about Passivhaus that still surprises people: it’s not complicated. It’s just basic science.
The Basics Haven’t Changed
There’s no disinformation here. No fake news. No myth busting. Just physics — applied to buildings.
Hot moves to cold. Simple.
In winter, it moves out. In summer, it moves in.
Radiation, conduction, and convection — the three paths of heat transfer.
Disrupt those paths through sound approaches to design and build, and what do you get?
A Passivhaus.
The basics we learned as children, now applied in the real world — delivering real comfort, real health benefits, and real energy reductions.
The Complexity Myth
People seem to link Passivhaus with complexity, but here’s the reality: a Passivhaus is no more complex than any other new build.
Same process. Same systems. Constructed by the same people.
The only differences? Quality is encouraged. Ownership is valued. And a few extra checks are carried out to help with the end result — which is a building that’s comfortable to be in whilst using as little energy as possible.
That’s it.
The brickie who builds your Passivhaus wall is the same brickie who builds any wall. The difference isn’t in who does the work — it’s in the opportunity given to everyone involved to take back ownership of their work and pride in its application. Removing these barriers and encouraging these approaches on any project will only result in positivity improving skills and leaving a legacy of buildings that perform.
We’re not reinventing construction. We’re just doing it properly.
Proof in Practice
And the results speak for themselves. Up in Scotland, we’re seeing what happens when policy catches up with performance.
The Scottish Futures Trust introduced outcomes-based funding for schools — hit your energy target of 67 kWh/m²/year over 25 years, or lose funding. Simple as that.
Councils looked at the evidence, saw that Passivhaus eliminates the performance gap, and made their choice. Now around 60% of new Scottish schools are using the Passivhaus methodology. Riverside Primary in Perth is performing at 35-45 kWh/m²/year — smashing the target.
That’s not complexity. That’s certainty.
Over in Belfast, we heard about projects pushing boundaries — leisure centres, university buildings, social housing at scale, even library retrofits across Northern Ireland. These aren’t niche demonstration projects anymore. Fermanagh’s £70m leisure centre will be Ireland’s only Passivhaus-certified leisure facility. Queen’s University is adopting Passivhaus principles across new building work.
This is mainstream now. And it’s happening because it works.
Coming Together
Remember when scientists and engineers were held in high regard for their contributions to society? When we valued expertise, evidence, and outcomes?
Once a year, we come together to celebrate a standard that truly makes a difference — improving health, enhancing comfort, and reducing emissions. A standard that doesn’t care about social status and can be applied to any building, anywhere.
It’s a celebration of progress, purpose, and collaboration — a reminder that good design serves everyone and helps us meet our climate goals, whether they come from genuine commitment or empty promises.
We should be proud.
Proud of our contributions, our effort, and our progress.
Because at the end of the day — it’s just Passivhaus, ain’t it?
Paul Smith is a Director of Greengauge and a Passivhaus Certifier.
