Taplen Construction Time Lapse of Salus Clementine

Passive House

Roughly defined, Passive House is a building design certification that consumes very little energy to operate, promotes a reduction in carbon emissions and ultimately results in an occupant’s improved comfort.

This energy efficient building certification ensures the design has achieved a very high level of air-tightness compared to conventional construction methods. This method also provides excellent indoor air quality and heat recovery performance through pre-planning and a rigorous approach to design and construction.

Key features of a Passive House certified building are superior insulation, advanced windows as well as testing and configuration to reduce heat losses of thermal bridges. The design process may also include selecting a site that is oriented to take advantage of solar gain.

Passive House certification is an accomplishment that will ultimately reduce building energy costs to a fraction of a conventional building. According to the German Passive House Institute, this equates to a 90% reduction in the need for space heating and cooling.

Salus Clementine

Ottawa Salus is currently in the construction phase of their first Passive House pre-Certified building, “Salus Clementine”. The 42 unit supportive residential building for adults living with a mental illness is the first of it’s kind in Ottawa and a first for North America.

The Salus project has had the key features of the certification incorporated into its design, the highlights of which include R-75 insulation in the roof, R-65 insulation in the walls, and an R-59 insulated slab. Additionally, the site boasts continuous ventilation, exchanging with fresh air every four hours. It also features triple-glazed windows and doors with up to 3 times the efficiency of conventional alternatives.

Visit our Salus project page or listen to a recent CBC interview with Salus’ Executive Director Lisa Ker below to learn more about the Salus Clementine project.

CBC morning interview with Lisa Ker

For more information on Passive House, you can visit the German and Canadian Passive House Institute websites.