Forget Energy Star and LEED, Green Building is Passivhaus

This article and slideshow comes from Treehugger.com. Passivhaus is the latest buzz in the green building world, but it has been around since 1990, with the first buildings in Germany.

Passivhaus with shading devices for summer. Matthias Schindegger of Maschin Arhitektur. Photo by Peter Jakadofsky.

Passivhaus requires a maximum energy usage (120 kWh/m² per year), a blower door test, and an annual heating demand of less than 15 kWh/m² per year.

Green building rating systems will continue to battle it out for superiority, and Passivhaus is the latest to vie for its spot in the US.