Passive House on the Front Lines: Wildfire Smoke and Indoor Air Quality

We know that the airtightness and filtered fresh air ventilation of Passive House design delivers superior indoor air quality to residents. These benefits are well-documented and are a key reason that many choose to live or work in Passive House buildings. But what happens when wildfire smoke creates unprecedented levels of pollution with astronomical particulate counts and AQI indices of 600 or higher? Is the superior indoor air quality of Passive House enough during these intense events? If not, what can we do to ensure that the air in Passive House buildings isn’t just better than in conventional buildings, but truly healthy, even when the air outside is hazardous?

With huge wildfires hitting the west coast of the United States, Siberia, Europe, Australia, and beyond, we need answers. Join Passive House residents and Passive House design experts for a virtual Roundtable discussion, “Passive House on the Frontlines: Wildfire Smoke & Indoor Air Quality”, where homeowners and occupants will share the tweaks and additions that they are making to their ventilation systems to create havens of clean air during these climate fire events. We’ll have Passive House residents from North America and Australia share their stories and a group of Passive House experts on hand to dive deep into what works and what doesn’t. We’ll see monitoring data, photos of interventions, and actionable recommendations for how to batten the hatches against wildfire smoke.