Passive House: The Latest Architecture and News

The new Muskiz Secondary School building (Vizcaya), designed by BAT Architecture studio, has become a leading symbol of sustainable architecture for educational centers. Designed in accordance with Passivhaus criteria and built using cross-laminated timber (CLT), the project combines innovation and comfort with environmental care.

In this equation, Faveker's tiled ventilated facade, tailor-designed using its GA16 system as a basis, plays a key role. This precise, luminous tiled skin enhances the building's energy efficiency and infuses it with a unique architectural personality that harmonizes with the surrounding natural setting.

Andanzas y visiones españolas is the book in which Miguel de Unamuno collects his experiences during excursions through Spain's cities and countryside, accompanied by friends and colleagues. More than a precise geographical description, the text consists of narratives in which each region and every feature of the territory leaves a deep imprint on his thought. The literary discourse actively weaves the diversity of setting, climate, and contextualism as foundational threads, presenting the territory not only as a physical place but also as a space for reflection and contemplation. This attentive engagement with the landscape—so diverse within Spanish architecture—also resonates in the built environment, fostering in contemporary practice a sensitive adaptation to the country's varied climatic conditions, both through design strategies and material choices.

Inspired by experimental solar houses developed after the 1970s oil crisis, the Passive House certification emerged in the late 1980s as a response to growing concerns about energy efficiency and the environmental impact of the construction industry. Its goal is both simple and radical: to reduce heating and cooling demands to an absolute minimum through passive strategies, controlled mechanical ventilation, and an extremely efficient building envelope — eliminating the need for complex or expensive systems.

The choice of exterior cladding materials plays a strategic role in achieving this performance. Poorly designed surfaces, thermal bridges, or sealing failures can undermine the building's entire thermal logic, especially in demanding climates. This is where rainscreen systems stand out: by creating a ventilated air gap between the cladding and the structural wall, they promote continuous airflow, manage moisture, and enhance thermal stability. Materials that combine performance, durability, and visual appeal are rare — and natural slate from Spain's Cupa Pizarras is a standout solution.

MVRDV and GRAS announced the completion of five of the seven buildings of Project Gomila in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The residential complex was originally comprised of four existing buildings, adding three new ones for a total of 60 new dwellings and new commercial spaces. The project aligns with revamping the historic neighborhood "El Terreno" as a vibrant and sustainable residential site, home of bohemian nightclubs that hosted iconic musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, and Tom Jones.

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Canadian company Henson Developments has released plans to build the world's tallest passive house in Vancouver's West End neighborhood. The 60-story project and rezoning application is being reviewed by the City of Vancouver before it goes to city council for a public hearing. Aiming to earn Passive House certification, the tower was formed to break away from traditional Passive House design approaches.

Dutch firm Froscen Architects has unveiled FOON HOUSE(S), a tiny house concept in Leiden, the Netherlands. To be built on a former communications bunker from World War II in the middle of the city, the design focuses on the adaptive reuse of a small concrete complex overgrown with ivy.

The project will consist of four separate micro-houses on top of the bunker, each with a floor space of about 38 square meters, and equipped with necessary facilities.

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A proposal from George Batzios Architects for the Konaki Averof Cultural Center in Greece uses a cutting edge, sustainable approach to revive a deeply historical site. The design intertwines elements of architecture and agriculture to refit an existing structure with reference to the Thessalian plains on which it lies. The new architecture recreates the existing envelopes with straw cladding, regenerating the "golden environment" which defined the place in the late 19th century.

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Designed and built by 25 students from Chalmers University in Sweden, HALO is a socially sustainable home for four students, running on renewable energy from the sun. HALO was designed using one underlying concept: shared space is double space.

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