Projects showcased at the recent International Passive House Conference in Frankfurt, Germany, offered a glimpse at future directions for energy-efficient and cost-effective construction and retrofits. Using completed projects as examples, experts from around the world revealed the potential of intelligent architecture for climate protection and cost savings.

The spectrum of topics ranged from a “historical” new build in an old-town district of Frankfurt itself, to the demands on Passive House buildings in Mexico and Scandinavia.

More than 1,000 Passive House experts from approximately 50 countries, including a large delegation from China, attended the 17th annual conference.

“We are extremely pleased that interest in Passive House is also increasing in those countries where a lot of construction is taking place,” says Dr. Wolfgang Feist, director of the Passive House Institute.

For example, the northern Chinese town of Harbin is now planning to build one of the world’s first factory buildings that will comply with the stringent Passive House criteria.

The growing availability of high-quality, energy-efficient building components make such projects possible. The conference’s associated exhibition showcased many of these components, including windows made to withstand extremely cold climates.

This is the second time Frankfurt has hosted the conference, illustrating the city’s leading role in energy-efficient construction. To date, more than 1,000 apartments as well as numerous schools, kindergartens and other non-residential buildings in Frankfurt have been built to the Passive House standard.