Primary Exploration of the Feasibility of Passive Houses in Korea and China

The transferability of European experiences with design,planning,construction and service of Passive-Houses to the specific conditions in China and Korea is investigated by the adaptation of the PassiveHouse principle to typical Korean and Chinese residential building,by the use of locally available building materials,components and building practices as well as under consideration of specific and typical ways of living in the two countries and cultures. The starting basis for the research is the analysis and evaluation of specific climate conditions,architecture,building practice as well as specific comfort criteria. The additional effort for the construction and service of Passive-Houses in Korea and China compared with typical contemporary residential buildings is investigated on the basis of a comparison of designs for Passive-Houses and for common buildings,including issues like the heating and cooling energy demand,heat and cool load as well as the required materials and components. The research results show that the described modifications of typical contemporary residential building constructions in China and Korea are realizable with locally available materials and feasible effort. They can reduce the energy demand for the service of domestic housing significantly and are in the range of European Passive Houses.