China’s first Passive House office building has been certified in the city of Zhuozhou through the joint efforts of the owner/occupant, Hebei Xinhua Curtain Wall Co., and the company’s Austrian consultant. The Chinese government earmarked the project as a national pilot project for the Passive House standard, which requires buildings to achieve a heating and cooling energy use intensity no greater than 15 kilowatt-hours per square metre.

“The project in Zhuozhou is a good example of successful knowledge and expertise transfer. With the right expertise on the ground, and regionally available components, further impetus can and will be provided for the progress of Passive House in China,” observed Wolfgang Feist, director of the Passive House Institute, as he personally presented the certification.

The Zhuozhou office building has also received the Austrian Green Building Star, achieving a five-star rating for complying with the Passive House standard. Project consultant, the Austrian engineering firm, Schöberl & Pöll GmbH, will continue to monitor the building’s energy consumption.

“Experienced Passive House designers from Europe are in great demand in China,” Feist reported. “At the same time, when involved in local projects, they help develop the necessary prerequisites.”

Fittingly, the building’s chief occupant plays a supplier role in China’s burgeoning green building movement as a licensed producer of Passive House windows for the construction industry.

Photo: Passive House office in Zhuozhou, China. Courtesy of Passive House Institute