Passive housing - new roles and responsibilities for the building chain

Conference poster, 2013

Does passive housing really have better environmental performance than conventional housing? Three passive houses and four conventional houses were compared using a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The comparison also provided an actor analysis for the building supply chain and building inhabitants. Actor analysis shows that inhabitants’ and material producers’ electricity choice are very important. The introduction of passive house technology shifts responsibilities from building constructors to municipalities and residents, which is not currently communicated. To avoid shifting responsibility within the building chain and to meet future trends, communication needs improvement. The findings highlight the importance of environmentally responsible decisions throughout the whole life cycle and the need for appropriate behaviours and actions, along with implications for improved communication.