FAQ's
Frequently Asked Questions on Sustainable Design
Question: What is a net-zero building?
Answer: A net-zero building is one whose total annual energy consumption equals the amount of renewable energy created on its site.
Question: What is a HVAC system?
Answer: HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. HVAC systems are collections of components installed in buildings in order to maintain thermally and aerially favorable indoor environments.
Question: What is a building envelope?
Answer: Building envelopes are physical, structured components that separate a building's indoor regulated air from outdoor unconditioned air by obstructing the passage of air, moisture, noise, and other factors.
Question: What is the role of an indoor biowall in air-quality regulation?
Answer: In order to maintain air quality in internal environments, systems have been developed to filter indoor air and replace it with heated or cooled outdoor air. However, the current methods of doing so are energy intensive and costly. A natural indoor biowall serves as an alternative means of maintaining fresh, breathable air in buildings. It utilizes the life processes of plants and the microbial communities associated with them as a biofilter system to preserve indoor air quality.
Question: What is PassivHaus?
Answer: PassivHaus is a series of standards that gauge the ecological footprint of buildings and minimize the energy they consume for HVAC purposes. The general PassivHaus standards are:
Answer: In order to maintain air quality in internal environments, systems have been developed to filter indoor air and replace it with heated or cooled outdoor air. However, the current methods of doing so are energy intensive and costly. A natural indoor biowall serves as an alternative means of maintaining fresh, breathable air in buildings. It utilizes the life processes of plants and the microbial communities associated with them as a biofilter system to preserve indoor air quality.
Question: What is PassivHaus?
Answer: PassivHaus is a series of standards that gauge the ecological footprint of buildings and minimize the energy they consume for HVAC purposes. The general PassivHaus standards are:
- The Space Heating Energy Demand is not to exceed 15 kWh per square meter of net living space (treated floor area) per year or 10 W per square meter peak demand.
- The Renewable Renewable Primary Energy Demand (PER), the total energy to be used for all domestic applications (heating, hot water, and domestic electricity) must not exceed 60 kWh per square meter of treated floor area per year for Passive House Classic.
- In terms of Airtightness, a maximum of 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals pressure (ACH50), as verified with an onsite pressure test.
- Thermal comfort must be met for all living areas during winter as well as in summer, with not more than 10% of the hours in a given year over 25°C.
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