Passive House FAQs

Find answers to frequently asked questions about passive house and the Phius passive building standard.

Passive House/Building Frequently Asked Questions

  • No! The approach can be successfully applied to any type of building, including schools, churches, office buildings and skyscrapers.

    The oft-used term passive house is something of a misnomer. Although plenty of single-family homes have been built to the passive house standard, the approach is increasingly being applied to multifamily apartment buildings and large scale commercial buildings as well. As a result, the term passive building is gradually coming into more common usage, as it's a more accurate term than passive house.

Explore Passive Projects

Diverse shapes and sizes, same future-forward principles

425 Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York

This multi-use building is the largest pre-certified Phius project.

RMI Innovation Center, Basalt, Colorado

The Innovation Center accommodates 50 staff and has room for 80 people in the convening space.

Seminary Hill Cidery, Callicoon, New York

This project is the world's first cidery built to passive standards.

Smith House, Urbana, Illinois

Designed and built by Phius Founder Katrin Klingenberg, this is the first passive house ever built in the U.S.

Phius Sets the Passive Building Standard

7.4M

Phius has certified more than 7.4 million square feet of passive building projects.

3,000

Phius has certified more than 3,000 passive professionals, and counting.

85%

Phius-certified buildings perform up to 85% better than conventional buildings.

Get in Touch

Contact us with any questions on passive building, earning your Phius professional certification or getting your project Phius certified.