BRUSSELS—Isopa, the European trade association for diisocyanate and polyol producers, opened its Passive House in Evere, Brussels, earlier this month, two years after the project was announced, the association said in a statement.
Isopa said that the project documents construction from floor to ceiling of a residential house, which uses polyurethane materials wherever possible, and provides a living example of the environmental and economic value polyurethane brings to the most modern construction standards, the passive house standard.
Passive Houses are energy efficient buildings that use only half of what regular low-energy buildings use. They are designed to provide a comfortable indoor climate throughout the year, accomplishing this by eliminating the need for traditional heating and air conditioning systems through extensive insulation, such as polyurethane boards, energy efficient windows, low levels of air infiltration and heat recovery ventilation. Heat loss is so limited that a passive house requires only the capacity of an iron to maintain comfortable warmth during winter.
The house not only demonstrates the many benefits of polyurethane insulation but acts as a symbol to urge all policymakers to take action,” said Jorg Palmersheim, Isopa Secretary General. “Energy efficient buildings must be made the standard; polyurethanes will play an important role in meeting this standard.”