B.C.’s First Passive House was built in Whistler in 2012.

The Rainbow Duplex in Whistler was a BC First

Thepassive solar design房子的定位也不是什么新鲜事。太阳能集热技术已经在房屋建筑中使用了数千年。相对较新的是为证明它们而开发的评级系统。

ThePassive Houseor PassivHaus certification standard originated in Germany in the late 1980’s and currently boasts over 30,000 certified buildings around the world, with 16,000 in Germany alone, althoughthe concept of Passive Solar Homes was pioneered in Saskatchewan in the 1970's by Harold Orr.

In 2010, a passive house from Austria was assembled in Whistler for the Olympic Games, however, the Rainbow Duplex designed by Marken Projects marks the first Passive House to be solely constructed in B.C. using primarily local products.

Using up to 90% less energy for heating, cooling and building operation than a standard house, the Rainbow Duplex was assembled in 4 ½ days using a prefabricated panelized system manufactured by BC Passive House.

A successful passive solar home is designed to absorb as much of the sun’s heat as possible in the winter months, without over heating in summer months. Solar hot water collection, a subsoil heat exchanger and cross-laminated timber decking are a few of the extensive sustainable building features incorporated into the prefabricated design, which also meet requirements for Whistler’s Price Restricted House Initiative.