Falls mainly on the Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre! Greengauge Director & Passivhaus Certifer Paul Smith is back from Aviles in northern Spain, where he attended an International Passivhaus Camp and the 17th Spanish Passivhaus Conference.
International Passivhaus collaboration
Despite the Spanish rain and heading into the depths of winter back home, I’m still soaking up the warming atmosphere of international Passivhaus collaboration.
I attended the Passive House Camp Avilés, in early November – it was two days of workshopping and discussions between Passivhaus Certifiers, training bodies and affiliate members of the International Passive House Association. Two days of collaborative thinking, knowledge sharing, collaborative exercises and updates on the latest developments from the Passive House Institute. Although what is discussed during those days is always confidential until the Institute announces things, it’s great to be part of helping shape future ideas and policies.
It’s brilliant to get the big-picture view – where Passivhaus is heading and what’s happening globally. With delegates from all over Europe, Canada, North and South America, the UK and Ireland, it’s fascinating to discover what stepping stones and stumbling blocks the community is experiencing across different regions.
Making the effort to attend any of these gatherings in person – whether national or international – is always refreshing. It’s hard not to return home inspired and re-invigorated by the passion and enthusiasm of others in attendance. A personal highlight was getting the privilege to hang around with the South American affiliates and get involved recording video messages of support for their members. What may seem like a small gesture to some, I’d like to think, helps maintain momentum and encouragement across the South American community as it grows.
The universal language of physics
In my haste to get to the session, I’d forgotten to collect a translator headset and decided I wouldn’t burden my fellow seated companions with the hassle of getting back up. However, I found I could still follow the presentations – the universal language of physics transcends translation. The underlying physics is the same, you’re just managing heat flow in opposite directions. Spain or Yorkshire, hot or cold, the fundamentals don’t change. The international Passivhaus community is geared to doing something better and to contributing to something better.
We toured the Benito Sistemas Passivhaus window factory in Asturias, which took me back to my Yorkshire window-making days. The tour reminded me that when there’s willingness and enthusiasm to create a high-performance product, it just gets done. No fancy technologies needed, no futuristic equipment or materials – just timber profiles and triple glazing, properly put together.
The site tours were brilliant – seeing a Passivhaus office retrofit in Oviedo (sadly the complete refurbishment of a burned-out building) and exploring Avilés’ historic heart and industrial sprawl. Sharing these projects globally reveals commonalities in building typologies, but also shows how heritage restrictions and local constraints shape which components and systems work best.
The world is watching Scotland
One inspiring aspect of attending the conference was seeing just how important what is happening in Scotland is on the global stage. Scotland’s progressive Passivhaus Equivalent policy was discussed widely, and it is really true to say that the world is watching closely what Scotland does next.
It would be a massive disappointment if there wasn’t a positive outcome with the Scottish Passivhaus Equivalent policy, because Scotland’s bold move now has the opportunity to influence the world, it could be a global leader.
Upscaling – think local act global
The tagline for one of the presentations at the Conference was ‘think local act global’ and Passivhaus is very much about working at a local level to have a global impact. Much was made of the fact there is now about 4.32 million m² of treated floor area worldwide… but when we compare that to the size of some major cities it unfortunately pales into insignificance. Not to be disheartened, we just need to pull our socks up, keep at it and if we all put in the graft to upscale Passivhaus globally – there is little reason we can’t achieve it.
Sidrería, sawdust and the power of in-person meetings!
While the presentations, workshops and site tours were educational, I do find the social aspect of Passivhaus gatherings every bit as beneficial.
It’s amazing how conversation flows over Asturian cider and tapas in the traditional sidrerías – sawdust on the floors, cider poured from height, conversation flowing just as freely. You make connections and put forward ideas with people you might not have connected with otherwise. It opens up new opportunities to collaborate and exchange information. We all spend so much time on laptops and in front of spreadsheets. Being with people, sharing knowledge and just having a laugh with each other, that’s where the bonds are made.
Paul Smith is a Greengauge Director and Passivhaus Certifier
