The Concept of Active House

 Active House is a vision of buildings that create healthier and more comfortable lives for their occupants without impacting negatively on the climate–moving us towards a cleaner, healthier and safer world.

The Active House vision defines highly ambitious long-term goals for the future building stock. The purpose of the vision is to unite interested parties based on a balanced and holistic approach to building design and performance, and to facilitate cooperation on such activities as building projects, product development, research initiatives and performance targets.

The Active House principles propose a target framework for how to design and renovate buildings that contribute positively to human health and well-being by focusing on the indoor and outdoor environment and the use of renewable energy. An Active House is evaluated on the basis of the interaction between energy consumption, indoor climate conditions and impact on the environment.

The Active House key principles are as follows:

•  Comfort – creates a healthier and more comfortable life

An Active House creates healthier and more comfortable indoor conditions  for the occupants, ensuring a generous supply of daylight and fresh air. Materials used have a neutral impact on comfort and indoor climate.

•  Energy – contributes positively to the energy balance of the building

An Active House is energy efficient. All energy needed is supplied by renewable energy sources integrated in the building or from the nearby collective energy system and electricity grid.

•  Environment – has a positive impact on the environment

An Active House interacts positively with the environment through an optimised relationship with the local context, focused use of resources, and its overall environmental impact throughout its life cycle.