Passivhaus

Passivhaus, like the Brittany Groundhouse, relies on super insulation and passive solar gain. Around 15,000 homes have been built to this building design standard, mainly in Scandinavia and Germany. The standard does not dictate the form of the final building, but to make the grade, insulation, airtightness and solar gain are assessed.  Far less thermal mass is used than in the Brittany Groundhouse, with performance achieved through stringent air tightness.

In the UK, the first certified passivhaus has taken the same architecture approach as earthships, but using a massive concrete pour to construct the walls.