German Architects Take Action on Passive Houses

This week, I taught my mother to switch from the phrase “global warming” to “climate change” – the second being a more accurate description of the phenomenon in general, which doesn’t allow people to dismiss it off-hand when they look out at the 21 inches of snow in their front yards. It also alludes to the sort of meteorological mood swings that lead to 50 degree days in late December, following those 21 inches of snow, which then lead to me spending a day pulling up the carpet in the flooded basement of my parents’ house. Climate change and I are going to have a talk.

To cheer myself up a bit and take my mind off things, I’m going to tell you about another sort of house, one which is much more ecologically friendly and, as I understand it, dryer. Passive houses are taking off in Europe, and particularly in Germany, where companies like the Passivhaus Institut have been constructing these types of homes for the last 12 years.

Passive houses use thick insulation and specially designed doors and windows, and have an airtight seal that prevents warm air from escaping and cold outside

A thermogram compares the heat escaping from a passive house (on right) as opposed to a traditional building (on left).

air from coming in. Rather than a furnace, the houses employ a heat exchanger and the kind of ventilation system that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but would make my engineer friends pretty excited. So far, about 15,000 have been constructed. Most of them are in Europe, particularly Germany and the Scandinavian countries, but they are beginning to slowly make their way to America. Since the heat exchangers and other specialized parts are not readily available in the States yet, the price of construction is higher here so far, but eventually the cost would drop to only 5 to 7 percent higher than traditional construction (the current rate in Germany).

Hopefully, this trend will keep rising and spreading, and we’ll see many, many more of these houses in the USA. My only warning would be that, if they’re building in Michigan: I recommend linoleum in the basement. Trust me.

Iran’s Human Rights Record is on Display

Last Sunday, the 21st of December, police in the Islamic Republic of Iran raided and closed the office of a human rights organization, the Center of Human Rights Defenders in the Iranian capital of Tehran. The raid occurred just as the Center was having a celebration for the United Nation’s Declaration on human rights and to honor activist Taqi Rahmani.  Nargues Mohammadi, the Deputy Director of the Center described the raid: “Intelligence Ministry ‎agents, the police and plain-clothes forces surrounded our offices that day… Eventually about 10 ‎to 15 of these agents entered the building without warning. We tried to stop them and asked for a warrant. ‎They not only ignored our demands but even verbally attacked and abused me and others. “

The authorities claim that the Center was operating as a political part without the necessary legal permit and that they had illegal contacts with local and foreign organizations.  The Center counters that it submitted the necessary paper work six years ago and that the raid was conducted illegally since the officers did not have a warrant.  Mohammadi added, “A policeman said he was not obliged to show a warrant because he was wearing a police uniform”.

The Center for Human Rights Defenders is an organization founded by five well-known lawyers.  They report regularly on the human rights situation in Iran, provide free legal defense to ideological and political dissidents, and defense for family members of ideological and political prisoners.  The Centre is particularly well know because one of its founders, Dr Shirin Ebadi, won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her work for women’s and human rights in Iran.  The group has filed a formal complaint against the closure of the office.  More on Iran’s numerous human rights abuses and international responses after the fold.