8/9/2019 14PHT Greeting Feist Wolfgang

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 14th International Passive House Conference -Proceedings- FOREWORD

 

Dresden 2010 3 

14th Passive House Conference – Foreword by the editor

The problems are global - sustainable solutions are long overdue.

These sustainable solutions must first and foremost be able toconvince, motivate and mobilise the majority of people.

The Passive House is such a solution – first of all, however, we

need to self-critically verify whether or whether not this concept

offers a solution to the crucial problems. This is exactly what most

articles in these conference proceedings address: They describe

Passive Houses that have been built all over the world – from Pisa,

via Latvia, to Shanghai and Tokyo, all the way to Canada. The

concept works everywhere because the laws of physics are alwaysthe same – even though the local climates are very different. Not

only are Passive Houses being designed and built successfully – 

the systematically surveyed buildings deliver exactly what they should: They cap the

dependency on imported energy and reduce CO2 emissions to negligible amounts. As a

“side effect” the living comfort and quality of indoor air are much improved. All of these

statements have been statistically verified with reliable scientific studies. The Passive

House is truly a problem solver.

And that is not all: Passive House components can also be effectively used in existing

buildings. The refurbishment measures mainly rely on the regional value chain, which is

what makes the Passive House so attractive for all regions: Most jobs are linked to the

construction sector – and the number could increase even further if refurbishments are

carried out based on the principle „if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well“. Naturally the

progressive regions are attempting to encourage and support the required know-how for the

Passive House standard and this has become a lot easier with the newly available

qualification possibilities. It is also for this very reason that the International Passive House

Conference is held at a different location every year: Every region should be given a

chance and the world should be offered an opportunity to see the developments in the

different regions. In the last years the German federal state of Saxony distinguished itself

with active politics supporting energy efficient construction – for this I would like to sincerely

thank the environment minister Kupfer, this year’s patron of the conference. I would also

like to emphasize the special commitment of architect Olaf Reiter and of the initiator of the

developments in Saxony, Bernd Wolters, which was what made this conference in Dresden

possible in the first place.

The tasks are global – but the solutions are regional. This conference impressively exhibits

this fact. On behalf of the organizers I would like to thank the numerous contributors, the

scientific advisory board, the chairmen, the presenters and the authors of the poster

submissions, the exhibitors and all helpers. (By Univ.-Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Feist)

Wolfgang Feist