Architects Nisse Gerster (in red shirt, above) and Robert Heinicke (in white) explained the technology involved in constructing a building to passive house standard to visitors from the AZB Hamburg and the latter's Build with CaRe guests from Scotland.
The tour started at the offices of the Heinicke Architekturbüro where Mr Gerster and Mr Heinicke talked their visitors through the models they have on display of wall insulating materials, three layer glass windows and how to avoid thermal bridges when installing a front door.
From the architects' office it was just a short walk to Mr Gerster's home.
The immediate clue that this was not a house like any other was the lack of a chimney. A second sign was those three panes of glass in every window. The front door was attractive but extraordinarily heavy to push open. For someone trying to explain the concept of a paasive house to a potential buyer, the security afforded by the windows and the doors would be good selling point.
As Mr Gerster is still working on his home, visitors were able to see some of the layers involved in insulating the property. Some people are concerned about potential noise associated with ventilation that is an essential component of a passive house. Mr Gerster turned up the air exchanger to full capacity to demonstrate that it was inaudible even when set to maximum.
Three hundred metres of piping in the ground underneath the house help to keep the Gerster family warm in winter and cool in summer.
Internally, the layout is open plan with much natural (and untreated) wood. However, before the next winter arrives Mr Gerster will be installing safety glass between the sitting room and the hallway; he has found that when the front door is opened in cooler weather the temperature of his home drops noticeably.
All the visitors appreciated the time both architects set aside for answering questions and Mr Gerster's opening his home for inspection.
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