Cradle to Cradle Vs Passive House Construction

4th Semester Elective Self Study Report

VIA University College Horsens Denmark

Bachelor of Architectural Technology and Construction
Management
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AUTHOR:

Andri Lehn
Peter Nicholas Pringle

DATE/SIGNATURE:

31/10/2012

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GENERAL INFORMATION: All rights reserved - no part of this publication may be reproduced
without prior permission from the author.
NOTE: This thesis has been prepared as part of the training for construction manager - all
responsibility for advice, instruction or conclusion disclaimed.

Cradle to Cradle Vs Passive House Construction

2. Cradle to cradle principles vs Passive House construction
Author: Peter Nicholas Pringle
Super Visor Andri Lehn
31st October 2012
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4 Semester elective subject report
Cover picture of the cradle to cradle framework basic cycle

Figure 1. Passive active house, Lystrup, Denmark.

3. Preface
This was a fourth semester elective subject report (E.S.S.) as a compulsory part of our BSC
education in Architectural Technology and Construction Management.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the following people for help and support during the writing of my chosen
Elective subject report.
Andri Lehn for study counseling and guiding me in the right direction when writing this
report.
All of the library staff, who do a great job in helping us to search in the right places.

Cradle to Cradle Vs Passive House Construction

4. Abstract
Between 2015 and 2050, passive houses should become a common feature in Denmark. This is due to
higher demands being placed on allowable energy emissions for new buildings in order to fulfill
national expectations for the reduction of CO2 production according to Global agreements on the
reduction of Greenhouse gases. Passive house design seems to fulfill these requirements for energy
efficiency and uses 70% to 80% less heating costs than a standard home construction. That is why I
chose this model as an example in this ESS report. Tomorrows house may be something quite
different as architecture is constantly evolving. As new energy efficient homes spring up, older
properties will fall into lower categories of energy efficiency. Heating costs and taxes are likely to
increase for these homes. When this happens, new energy efficient homes may be seen as a more viable
alternative. So we may have to de-construct existing buildings or prepare new sites and begin building
new homes. This demand will use up more resources and natural reserves and also produce more CO2.
As older buildings are de-constructed, more CO2 will be produced. Finally, what will happen to that
material, will it be dumped in landfill sites, or can it be used for some other purpose. These are some of
the scenarios that are examined in this S.E.S report and how the whole process can be managed with
the aid of Cradle to Cradle or similar philosophies. I looked at the whole phase from extraction, to
production, supply to construction and deconstruction. The possibility may exist to create a continuous
cycle of resources if the whole process can be well balanced.
Key words, Deconstruction, Carbon Dioxide CO2, Circular economy, Cradle to Cradle (C 2 C).

Figure 2. COWI construction in partnership with Architects 3XN design Denmarks first cradle to cradle building which can be 100%
recycled COWI.DK 17/04/2012

Cradle to Cradle Vs Passive House Construction

5. List of contents
Contents
Contents
4th Semester Elective Self Study Report .............................................................................................................. 1
2. Cradle to cradle principles vs Passive House construction ............................................................................. 2
3. Preface .......................................................................................................................................................... 2
4. Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
.......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
5. List of contents .............................................................................................................................................. 4
Table of figures .................................................................................................................................................. 5
6. INTRODUCTION / PROBLEM FORMULATION .................................................................................................. 6
6.1Background information and presentation of subject ...........................................................................6
6.2 Reasons for choice of elective professional relevance........................................................................6
6.3 Problem statement / research questions .............................................................................................6
6.4 Delimitation .......................................................................................................................................7
6.5 Choice of theoretical basis ..................................................................................................................7
6.6. Choice of research method. ...............................................................................................................7
6.7 Choice of working method ..................................................................................................................7
.......................................................................................................................................................................... 7
7. MAIN SECTION ............................................................................................................................................... 8
7.1. Introduction......................................................................................................................................8
7.2 What can we recycle from a typical 20 century family house? ..............................................................9
7.3. Can passive houses be designed to be more sustainable with the cradle to cradle principle in mind? . 11
7.4. What are the benefits that can be associated with this model ........................................................... 15
7.5. Is there a downside to this model? ................................................................................................... 16
8. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................... 16
9. REFERENCES in the text ................................................................................................................................ 18
Annex A. .......................................................................................................................................................... 20

Cradle to Cradle Vs Passive House Construction

Table of figures
Figure 1. Passive active house, Lystrup, Denmark............................................................................................... 2
Figure 2. COWI construction in partnership with Architects 3XN design Denmarks first cradle to cradle building
which can be 100% recycled COWI.DK 17/04/2012 ............................................................................................ 3
Figure 3. Cradle to Cradle chemical certification ratings. .................................................................................... 5
Figure 4. Mobile aggregate crushing machine. ................................................................................................... 5
Figure 5. Gamel Muresten, used bricks for new constructions and renovation projects...................................... 7
Figure 6. Material Composition of an On-Site Construction House, Source: Wiedermann et al, 2003. .............. 20
Figure 7. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Material Type of an on site construction house. Source : Stockholm
Environment Institute, Rescources and Energy Analysis Program. .................................................................... 20

Figure 3. Cradle to Cradle chemical certification ratings.

Figure 4. Mobile aggregate crushing machine.

Cradle to Cradle Vs Passive House Construction

6. INTRODUCTION / PROBLEM FORMULATION
Problem background - This elective subject report, is a compulsory part of, the 4 Semester,
international Constructing Architect education. We have moved onto the 'professional student' part of
this education and where we have to 'model' or 'construct' our own final knowledge profile.
I would like to examine the use of cradle to cradle principle in the future design of passive houses.
Researching and documenting the design of passive houses using the cradle to cradle principle and
alternatives will improve my skills and practice in doing research and writing an academic report
during the 7th semester.
I will also be able to share my findings with the other 4th semester students and learn from what they
have researched.

6.1Background information and presentation of subject

I have researched information form the C 2 C website, The E.U. Commission, internet and books. This
has been a short insight into this topic as there is a huge volume of material available, so the
information presented here is limited by the amount of research conducted over a 3 week period.
Cradle to cradle is a registered trademark and is only used as reference within this document. Full
classification of products should be sought from their website.

6.2 Reasons for choice of elective professional relevance.

One of the major challenges in designing a home is not only the cost, but the environmental impact that
the building has on the local area. Cradle 2 Cradle and other green management systems can help deal
with this problem. In our 4th semester building tender, we were confronted with a number of existing
buildings on our project plot which would need to be demolished before work could begin. I
considered the possibility that there could be some material here that was of value to the overall
construction. If this was the case, then there could also be a cash back incentive that could possibly
reduce the overall construction time and costs. I have considered this theory here with passive house
design as it is a current topic in the construction industry. I am interested in designing family houses
that have as little environmental impact as possible, are reasonably affordable and can be planned with
the Cradle to Cradle principles in mind. So I see this as an important subject to study.

6.3 Problem statement / research questions

What benefits can passive house design achieve by adopting the cradle to cradle principle in Urban
Development projects?
1. What can we recycle from a typical 20 century family house?
2. Can a passive house be designed to be more sustainable with the cradle to cradle principle in mind?
3. What are the benefits that can be associated with this model?
4. Is there a downside to this model?

Cradle to Cradle Vs Passive House Construction

6.4 Delimitation
Methodology
I will base my research on existing information from the Cradle to Cradle organization, E.U. directives
and current recycling practices found in major countries like Denmark and the U.S.A.
Limits of research
I will restrict my geographic research to mainly Denmark, the EU and America. I will use relevant
information from the worldwide internet.
It is beyond the scope of this paper to cover all designs of passive houses, so I will limit my research to
a simple brick built construction with references to a current project in my local area, which I have
monitored over the past year.

6.5 Choice of theoretical basis

I have researched my data from the following sources.
Danish Statens Byggeforsknings Institut (S.B.I.),
European Union Joint Research Committee
Cradle to Cradle website and related links
I also searched for quantitative and qualitative information to present a broader picture.

6.6. Choice of research method.

A. Primary visit to a passive house site now under construction.
B. Secondary data will be gathered from research papers, books and via the Internet.

6.7 Choice of working method

I chose the following working method because it made practical sense to me.
I began by watching videos from the cradle to cradle web site. Then I researched papers from the E.U.
commission on cradle to cradle in special developments. I also visited other web sites and searched for
books in the library.
I made a mind map and where possible used imperial data, that was quantitative and qualitative.
I combined the information and condensed it into a logical sequence.

Figure 5. Gamle Muresten, used bricks for new constructions and renovation projects.

Cradle to Cradle Vs Passive House Construction

7. MAIN SECTION
Complexity/ depth of research

7.1. Introduction
Constructing managers/architects can if they wish to, only consider the materials and designs that go
into producing a new building. Buildings will continue to be constructed and demolished, but what
happens when those resources that we need for our building components start to dry up. We have seen
this occur in the past with deforestation. First oak was used and when forests disappeared, pine and
spruce replaced oak. Sustainability is a modern topic discussed with regard to managing our resources
to ensure that our children have the necessary means to continue our traditions of building beautiful
homes. So if we chop down a tree, we plant some new ones to compensate for this and so on, that way
we can create a continuous cycle of resources. Not every building component can be replanted and
some metals for instance may finally become depleted. So we need to recycle also.
Lots of people may be familiar with the old farmers statement that, there is money in dirt. The cradle
to cradle founders German Prof.chemist Michael Braungart and the American Architect designer
Kenneth McDonough, coined another phrase Waste = Food.
What these sayings tell us is that there is money and use in most waste that we produce from our daily
consumption. So why waste it at all.
Denmark is a world leader in managing waste disposal, but if we look back to practices 20 years ago,
we would find that most waste was just dumped into landfill sites. If we went back even further before
modern transportation, we could find that a lot of building materials from the older buildings were
actually incorporated into the new buildings. Venice is a good example of this, where buildings are
difficult to access and resources are limited. Smashed bricks and tiles were incorporated into mortar
which was a process discovered in the ancient world to make hydraulic mortar. New houses rest on top
of the old, virtually nothing was wasted and it still continues to that tradition today.
So why in modern times is there a trend to consume and produce so much waste material? This is
because we can. Mass production, cheap fuel, low costs and huge profits. The implications of this is
that we will see our natural resources stripped, contamination of useful land from dumping may occur
and we potentially waste valuable material that could be incorporated somewhere else. More CO2 is
produced in this process, greenhouse gases increase and global warming may be the result. This is not
to say that all waste dumping has no use. Large areas of New York and other coastal city harbor areas
like rhus container harbor are built on top of land fill sites. The problem may be that if there is
something useful there then we cant get it back. There may also as a result become a buildup of toxic
gases depending on what exactly has been buried.
I was informed on a recent trip to Egerslund brick works in 2011, how they were moving further and
further away from their factory in order to find and fetch the raw clay for their production. This was
increasing their costs and eventually the solution would most likely be a re-location of their production
factory, possibly even their work force. This alone will have an environmental impact once resources
are depleted. For a lot of years, the trend has been to just dump the old bricks and buy new. What if
there was an alternative? What if resources could be re-used?
Could this be a profitable solution? Could this be a useful solution?

Cradle to Cradle Vs Passive House Construction

This is what I have examined in this S.E.S report and the aim has been to think beyond the single
construction contract. What was there before? Can it be useful? How can we utilize used materials in
our projects and what will happen in the future. I.e. life expectancy, de-construction and future
incorporation into new projects. These are all building design management questions and if the solution
were a practical one, possibly with a payback scheme for used materials, then it may prove an attractive
solution to the client also with regard to sustainability instead of the kind of cycle which leads to a dead
end.
As an example, a neighbor of mine recently got permission to build a house where there was an
existing building. After demolishing the house, the waste materials were just dumped on part of his
ground. All the wood was burned out in the open. This is not an unusual practice, especially if there is a
huge cost to getting rid of these materials. The neighbor chose to just dump them all, saving himself
time and effort.
Good management and a site materials management plan could help provide a more continuous life
cycle and reusing locally recycled materials reduces the environmental impact. What if there was a
pay-back system for scrap opening the possibly for cheaper construction costs. This could lower CO2
production, encourage more building projects but more importantly people would be more inclined to
dispose of their waste responsibly.
As an example of the benefits to be realized, 1,000 tons of demolition material retained on-site rather
than hauled to a recycling facility (or to landfill), would avoid approximately 50 vehicle movements.
For a haulage distance of 10 miles (return journey of 20 miles) this avoids 1,550 kg (1.55 tons) of
CO2emissions. However, the overall benefit is greater than this because these site-won recycled
materials substitute for the need to import materials to site. If the haulage distance for imported
materials were also to be 10 miles then the overall saving is 3,100 kg of CO2. (Institute of civil
engineers, 2008)

7.2 What can we recycle from a typical 20 century family house?

30% of annual waste comes from demolition and other areas of the construction industry (Vermont
2000). It has also been estimated that 43% of U.S. CO2 emissions come from building construction and
heating management. After the Kyoto protocol of 1997 and as of august 2011, 191 united nation
member states out of 192 that signed have ratified a treaty aimed at cutting greenhouse gas production
by 50% by the year 2050, Canada has the intention to withdraw and America (Alaska) have signed the
agreement but have no intention to ratify it. (Marian Keeler, 2009). Managing our building waste could
have a dramatic effect over this.
Before we begin, it is worth mentioning that there are some problems associated with deconstruction.
They involve things like fixing materials, toxic materials and hazardous surface finishes. These issues
must be dealt with before any recycling or de-construction can take place. Hazardous waste usually
ends up in deep landfill sites. Who will pay for this? During the 20th century, many typical Danish
houses were constructed using bricks and wood. Most of these have either poor or no insulation
material compared to todays standards. There are some that will have cultural or historical value but
most will eventually be torn down. If a turn-key contractor has to include this task in with the whole
project, then there may be some advantages to be gained from managing this process carefully.
Especially if there could be some economic value to gain. An economic advantage to increase income
or to reduce the overall construction costs is always worth considering.

Cradle to Cradle Vs Passive House Construction

The Adelige Jomfrkloster in Odense, is a brick built building constructed between1504-1508. The
material used for the construction of this building came from a former monastery built in the 14th
century. This building has just undergone some renovation/restoration. If it were knocked down, then
material could still be used to restore other historic buildings. Although the size of the bricks was much
larger than those used in the 20th century, it proves that the lifespan of this building material can last
many hundreds of years. The production costs are expensive, and large amounts of CO2 are produced.
So why dump them into a landfill site when the possibility exists to reuse these components on new
buildings.
This is exactly the solution the company Gamle Muresten in Funen Denmark has come up with (figure
5). Their market piece is that old bricks have a special character and patina which can be incorporated
into new buildings giving them their own special beauty or individuality whilst retaining some
historical feature if only a minor one.
Architects are using this company and orders of 40,000+ bricks per construction have already been
honored (3+N arkitekterne, 2011).
The company claims that 2000 old bricks reused will reduce one ton of CO2. The company can clean
5000 to 6000 bricks per hour using their patented technology. Many projects have already been
constructed, and the bricks are of course much cheaper.
So what other materials do we find? There will be plenty of wood, some could be planed and reused or
turned to pulp and made into O.S.B. boards or Wood Wool Boards for example. A large percentage of
burnable material ends up in the incinerator providing communal heating, and the CO2 is being filtered
here.
Concrete, can be found in many forms in buildings. Once removed, this material can be crushed down
on site and re-used as aggregate. At this stage, carbonation occurs more rapidly in the crushed form
and so more CO2 can be absorbed from that was released during its manufacturing process. What levels
these equate to are unclear but many aggregate and air Crete blocks are made from 97% recycled
material. In the UK, 50% of recovered concrete is crushed and recycled, 40% is down cycled annually.
What happens to the other 10% is again unclear (British precast concrete federation, 2008).
Gypsum wall boards have been a popular material for many years, and some material can be reconstituted into new gypsum boards. Other material will be ground up and used to add to soil as a form
of soil conditioning material. (Earth 911.com 2012). If there was a system to make it easier to strip
apart, then more material could be reused as new dry wall. 1.6million new homes are constructed
annually using this material in the USA alone (Gypsum Wallboard Recycling and Reuse Opportunities
in the State of Vermont 2000).
Metal is available in large quantities, e.g. Fixings, frames, lintels, mesh, nails, pipes and taps etc. These
are all 100% recyclable and without any loss of their element properties. Metals for buildings publish
their own brochure explaining the relevance of metal in construction, how to manage this and what to
do at the end of the life cycle. Around 95% of construction metal is re-claimed and re used which is a
plus. Companies with the capacity can collect scrap metal and store it till it can be sold for recycling.
60% to 95% of production costs can be saved here compared to primary production i.e., mining and the
purification process costs. Metal demand is increasing and mining will continue and the sale of scrap
metal is viable income here (European metals alliance for recyclable & sustainable buildings, 2012).
Glass
Recently in Denmark, a new rule came out that all windows should be stripped of glass before being
dumped in the communal skip. Every metric ton of glass recycled, saves 315kg of CO2 production.
The problem with recycled glass is that it retains its color tint, so all the different colors mixed together
10

Cradle to Cradle Vs Passive House Construction

will produce a new color and viscosity. Recycled glass can be exported for wine bottles or it can be
added to concrete mixes as an aggregate or used to make fiberglass insulation. Pure clear glass may be
reused for window glass (Wiki glass, 2012).
Insulation
In researching insulation disposal, I came across a rock wool article where the Danish minister for the
environment, Mrs Ida Auken is promoting the idea of the circular economy, where waste provides a
resource instead of a burden. So this is good that we can collect this product but for anyone that has
worked with it, there is a risk here as the old Rockwool particles contain lots of debris and organic
matter, also loose particles which can get in the lungs or irritate the skin. (Rockwool, 2012) Foam type
insulation can also be near 100% recycled.
Roofing felt can be recycled, and many companies like atlas roofing products use other waste materials
such as paper scraps, wood chips and fiberglass in their production plants to provide a profitable
turnover (Atlas Roofing Corporation, 2012). Old roof tiles have the possibility to be reused on either
smaller projects or in restoration if they are in a good serviceable condition. Burnt clay bricks and tiles
can be mixed with lime putty to produce a hydraulic pozzolan mortar suitable for wall plastering. This
is a fine material to use as a base for mock marble surface finishes or to add a rustic look. Pozzolans
can be added to concrete mixes, reducing up to 40% cement content like floor slabs for instance and
this is a material that can be ground up fairly easily on site from previous buildings (Wye, 2012).
The Northern Ireland business advices bureau has some practical information about Recycling
Secondary Aggregates from demolition. They advocate making a pre demolition audit, site plans and
documenting how the materials have been used or disposed of. There is also a link to the Institute of
civil engineers, a global organization which provides their own document called Demolition Protocol
This is a very useful 32 page document laying out guidelines for good practice in dealing with
demolition materials. (Institute of civil engineers, 2008) R.S.A.s can be designed into your building
project and why drag tones of aggregates to your construction site if you already have the product
available for use after deconstruction and processing. R.S.A.s are 100% suitable for road base layers
and 20% of in-situ cast concrete. The new Wembley stadium in London saved 23.910 pounds by
recovering 95% of the demolition materials and reusing 50% of the aggregates. Overall, we should be
able to recycle 90% + of building components, some hazardous materials may need to be buried in
deep landfill sites.

7.3. Can passive houses be designed to be more sustainable with the cradle to
cradle principle in mind?
We can see where the cradle to cradle system and Passive house design evolved if we look at some
basic time frames with regard to environmental lobbies and groups that have helped change the way we
manage our resources and design our buildings to fit in with this practice.
1921 BRE (Building Research Establishment UK government organization privatized in 1997)
1935 Rockwool (stone wool manufacturing begins former insulation methods adopted in homes
included straw, wool and sea weed panels)
1969 U.S. National Environmental Policy Act
1971 Greenpeace ship sets sail (Michael Braungart 1985, leader of Greenpeace Chemistry)
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Cradle to Cradle Vs Passive House Construction

1972 Stockholm conference (UN conference on the Human Environment)
1972 First Green Party (United Tasmania Group)
1990 First Passive house built (Darmstadt Germany. By 2010, 60.000 have been constructed )
1995 Cradle to Cradle (Michael Braungart and William McDonough begin partnership)
1997 Kyoto protocol (191 United Nation states have ratified the agreement by august 2011)
1998 First green party in government (Alliance 90 Germany)
2003 ICE Institute of Civil Engineers demolition protocol first drafted
2005 Cradle to Cradle Certification program and non-profit institute begins
2008 First passive houses Denmark (Architects Schmidt Hammer Lassen)
2050 Greenhouse gas output to be reduced by 50% from all agreeing countries (1997)
These are just a few examples and there are many more but we can see how this evolution of ideas have
affected changes to our home planning strategy. The main aim has been towards this circular economy
and designing the carbon neutral construction or at least constructions which are 50% more efficient by
2050 if we take the Kyoto protocol targets into consideration.
1990 was seen as the base layer for greenhouse gas emissions for most countries. And you can
understand the value in this because in 1990 we were still burning huge amounts of coal. Some
countries have adopted earlier start dates for calculations. These targets apply to the four greenhouse
gases carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), and two
groups of gases, hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs) and per fluorocarbons (PFCs).[ (Wiki kyoto, 2012)
The Cradle to Cradle system was adopted in 1995 by the former Greenpeace chemist Michael
Braungart and Architect William McDonough, The term was first coined by Walter R. Stahel a Swiss
Architect in the 1970s who championed the idea of sustainability, he advocated reduce, recycle and
reuse and won the Mitchell literary prize in 1982 for The Product-Life Factor describing the closed
loop economy, now referred to as the circular economy (Wiki Stahel, 2012).
Even so, cradle to cradle deign is now a registered trademark and products wishing to become certified
can apply to the Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Institute and be graded under Basic, Silver, Gold
and Platinum levels. Products are assessed on an annual basis and there is a levy applied to becoming a
certified product and it varies depending on how many components are applied for. This is a nonprofits organization with all extra monies going into further research (Figure 4).
Basically what is assessed is the following,
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Material Health (chemical components and toxicity levels).

Material Reutilization (Recyclability levels of the product).
Renewable Energy Use (Solar, wind, geothermal or other energy used in the production).
Water Stewardship (Clean water coming in and going out of plants).
Social Responsibility (Practice business in a way that respects the health, safety, and rights of
people and the planet).

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Cradle to Cradle Vs Passive House Construction

Within each category, there are different measurements that will categorize and determine the overall
grading of the product.
If we were to combine cradle to cradle products with the design of our passive house, then we would
have to consider the cradle to cradle philosophy and they say the following.
Eliminate the concept of waste. Waste equals food. Design products and materials with life cycles
that are safe for human health and the environment and that can be reused perpetually through
biological and technical metabolisms. Create and participate in systems to collect and recover the value
of these materials following their use.
Power with renewable energy. Use current solar income. Maximize the use of renewable energy.
Respect human & natural systems. Celebrate diversity. Manage water use to maximize quality,
promote healthy ecosystems and respect local impacts. Guide operations and stakeholder relationships
using social responsibility. (MBDC, 2012)
Design phase.
We have considered the things that affect our planet, toxicity levels, water pollution and the release of
greenhouse gasses. Now we are confronted with our project to design a passive house using these
principles.
But what is a passive house?
A passive house is an extremely air tight and energy efficient house. They are designed to reduce the
ecological footprint and the heating demand must fit in with the passive planning package of the
European Passive House standard. The annual heating energy requirement is < 20-30 kWh/m2
The required primary energy need for heating, hot water, ventilation and household electricity is < 120
kWh/m2 a year in normal use, that means that a passive house must be certified as such. (Wiki passive
house, 2012).
The first thing to do with our construction site is to make a pre-demolition audit, to see what materials
can be designed into our future construction such as aggregates etc. Can other materials be salvaged
and sold. Ideally the scenario would be to get the best possible trade in price for any existing material.
The rest would have to be disposed of in the correct manner. Companies wishing to get rid of building
waste must in most cases pay for this and there is the transportation cost to consider as well. Whatever
the outcome, this phase should be well documented so that we can learn for future projects.
Passive solar Design and landscape (power with renewable energy)
We need a good aspect for our passive houses in order for then to function correctly, +/- 30 southern
facing with slight elevation between rows with no obstructions of trees that will block the solar energy
hitting our windows and in active passive houses (figure 1), the solar water heaters, Photovoltaic panels
or solar air warmers are placed on our roof tops at an angle of 30 to 45. As well as this, the
companies that are supplying all our building components should be using similar technology in their
factories. All materials should be easy to disassemble in order to be recycled.

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Cradle to Cradle Vs Passive House Construction

Superinsulation
Respecting human and natural systems can be achieved by firstly reducing the deforestation for heating
systems, thick insulation in a passive house reduces heat loss but it can also keep the cold in the
building like a thermos flask. There needs to be a balance here and it can fail if we have to spend huge
amounts of money keeping our houses regulated through mechanical ventilation systems. Air tightness
can be checked using a blower door test. Here the door area to rooms is sealed and air is pumped in and
pressure tested for air tightness. A thermography test can also show heat loss due to color changes.
Advanced window technology
South facing windows generally allow more solar heat gain than loss, we can employ double and triple
glazing in our passive houses which have sealed argon or krypton gas between the panes. Windows
should be marked and easy enough to be disassembled in order to be recycled more efficiently.
Companies like Rationel windows and doors use renewable timber sources and protec v6 windows
virtually eliminate cold bridges.
Airtightness
This could be an issue as membranes, plastic or special finishes could be used to provide that seal to
slow heat loss through walls. There is the potential here for cross contamination to occur during
deconstruction as if these products have become attached to our surface finishes. The option here may
be landfill but it is an area which manufactures need to address.
Ventilation
Natural ventilation and heat recovery ventilation can be used here.
Space Heating
Passive houses also calculate into the model, the heating generated by people in the buildings, light
bulbs and also solar heating systems etc. But be aware, there have been instances where the passive
house failed to live up to the expectations.
Lighting and Electrical Appliances
We need to make use of active solar lighting techniques, external solar lighting for security and of
course energy saving light bulbs throughout the house. Actually anything is considered which emits
energy and affects our heating on a daily basis.
Water
Instead of rainwater flowing into storm drains and then being pumped back into properties, some water
could be stored in fascines on the building plot and used for secondary services like watering the
garden, washing machines and flushing toilets. Right now the technology is still developing here as
there will be some problems. Especially water quality and the buildup of bacteria. These need to be
addressed but it is possible to use a sand filtration system to purify some of the water for better use.
There are two ways to become a passive house designer. The easiest way may be to design a passive
house project according to their recommendations and then get the building certified as a passive
house. Once this is done, you can seek accreditation as a designer. The other way is to attend the

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training courses and sit and examination at the end for approval. Details can be found from
PassivehousePlanner.EU
Why become a passive house designer. Well every 5th home built in Germany today is designed as a
passive house and the interest is increasing around the rest of Europe.
(International Passive House Association, 2012)
COWI a large Danish construction firm in partnership with 3XN architects are constructing Denmarks
first Cradle to Cradle building (figure 2).

7.4. What are the benefits that can be associated with this model
In 2003, the average weight of material for an 85,5 m2 on site manufactured home in the UK was found
to be around 152 tons , or approximately 1,8 tons per m2 (annex a figure 6). The total carbon footprint
for this building was around 56 Tones or roughly 1/3 of the material weight (annex A figure 7).
If we look at these figures, and these are only construction figures, Bering in mind that we still need to
live in the house, maintain it and heat it, then we can imagine that there is going to be staggering
amount of CO2 produced per house hold. Anything that reduces this carbon footprint has to be good as
long as it is not dangerous for the people concerned.
If we combine Cradle to Cradle and Passive House Design methodology
We promote things like sustainability and low energy consumption.
Thick insulation provides a good sound barrier in our homes.
Products that we use have been certified and graded according to a recognized standard.
We can maximize the use of renewable energy systems which enables cheaper operating costs.
We leave less of a carbon footprint which is good for the environment.
We promote the circular economy model i.e. Waste = food etc.
Passive house designs are up to 80% more energy efficient so are more likely to get taxed less.
Passive houses are attractive to potential home owners as they have a low maintenance cost.
Passive houses offer the occupant thermal comfort in all rooms.
The mechanical ventilation system provides a fresh air supply to all rooms and has heat exchanger.
Solar panels for electricity and water reduce our need to be dependent on fossil fuels.
As a site manager/architect/designer, being able to manage your recourses effectively will help any
company to become well respected, it shows innovation and also there is the possibility to become
more efficient in terms of construction time and profitability. If you can say where your products are
coming from and eventually where they are going to, it shows that you really know what you are
talking about and all this information can be document from one construction project to the next.

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7.5. Is there a downside to this model?
Of course there are downsides to any model and this need to be taken into consideration and integrated
within our projects.
Ventilation system needs to be maintained and filters cleaned according to the manufacturers
specifications.
Some people feel that air tight buildings make them feel claustrophobic as temperature in bedrooms
can be high and uncomfortable to sleep in in summer.
No more sitting round the fire toasting marshmallows, or warming your back against a radiator, so
habits have to change.
Solar panels have to be designed well to fit in with the rest of the building and surrounding areas
otherwise they can look ugly and out of place.
The cost of a passive house is somewhere around 15% higher than a normal home but this can be
recuperated after 5 to 7 years due to lower living costs.
Superinsulation thickness reduces the internal living space.
As to the positioning, the solar aspect requirement means that the passive house design does not fit into
every building plot so maybe we need to consider changing city layouts to maximize the benefits of the
sun.
The overall building needs to be certified, what if the building fails after all the time and effort put into
the design.
Cradle to cradle is not unique in certifying products. There are many other institutes such as BREAM
for example. So over time there is going to be some confusion about which is best. Also there are
probably many products that may be suitable for the cradle to cradle levels of assessment but the
manufactures simply dont wish to become a part of this because of the cost involved. Wherever cost
is involved in certifying products, it generally means that the customer will end up carrying the burden.
If this cost becomes too high, then people will just say forget it and manufacturers will not be able to
sell their products. We see that happening already with ecological products in the supermarket. I like
to buy ecological products but I simply cant afford to buy everything ecological and it may be the
general consensus because ecological products are in the minority in most supermarkets. This is the
same situation with certified cradle to cradle products. They are still very much in the minority for
choice and diversity. Also if the only cradle to cradle product suitable for my building has to be sent
from Holland then it kind of defeats the object if I can buy a similar product locally saving all that
transportation and CO2 emissions. On the other side, the fact that taxes in Denmark are so high may
mean that it is cheaper to get that product to Denmark even though we generate extra CO2.

8. CONCLUSION
I have researched the four questions in the opening problem statement which were.
1. What can we recycle from a typical 20 century family house?
2. Can a passive house be designed to be more sustainable with the cradle to cradle principle in mind?
3. What are the benefits that can be associated with this model?
4. Is there a downside to this model?

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What I discovered was that there is a huge amount of information available on the subject of low
energy design passive houses. This information sometimes conflicts one another and it is changing as
we make greater demands on the levels of energy that we allow to be used in our buildings. I have tried
where possible to include the most up to date information available. When it comes to energy demands
and certification then these figures should always be taken from the national guidelines found in
building regulations, euro codes and fire safety demands.
The institute of Chartered Engineers protocol is available for Designers to be able to manage recycling
the resources from existing sites and where possible incorporating them into our buildings.
So we can recycle components from existing buildings. There is potential income here that can offset
the cost of our construction, it may also be possible to use building material to process aggregates on
site (waste = food) then there is no need to make repetitive transportations of raw material which uses
up time, places strain on our road networks and releases more CO2. I believe that there needs to be
more ways to recycle our building components and there should be a competitive trade in scheme
which would make this more beneficial to everyone and especially the environment.
Passive houses are sustainable and they are good for the environment. If we combine cradle to cradle
principles with passive house design then there are many similarities, however there is more freedom in
the choice of materials that we can use to create a standard passive house. The cradle to cradle
principles make sense, passive houses make sense. But the cradle to cradle model will not fit in with
everyones thinking of a passive house design. This is because people demand more choice and right
now the choices available from the Cradle to Cradle awarding scheme are limited. Also in Germany,
the German passive house institute is already certifying components that are suitable for passive house
integration. There are many areas where conflicts of interest will arise, but this is beyond the scope of
this report. Passive house design will not fit in with every model and it will not be everyones choice of
a dream home but they are gaining a reputation and following around the world. Likewise the Cradle to
Cradle system makes sense and for any designer to incorporate this type of thinking into their projects,
you can be guaranteed that you will feel a sense of worthwhile achievement. So there are positive and
negative reasons to design passive houses along with the cradle to cradle system. I believe that the
need to cut greenhouse gas emissions is a good reason to choose this type of construction. These
decisions will ultimately be ruled by the overall construction funds available and whether the client
wishes to go down this road on a more sustainable way of living. Ultimately the client is in charge and
we are there to provide services and consultation.
I am happy to have chosen this report because it has opened up a new way of thinking for me. The way
that we design a home is important for our survival on this planet. To incorporate existing materials
into the construction also makes sense. The subject material has been extremely interesting and there
are a huge amount of organizations actively involved in this building method and also in using more
sustainable practices on our construction sites.
More information can be found from Passivhus.Dk, The Institute of Chartered Engineers and the
Cradle to Cradle Design websites.

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9. REFERENCES in the text
Atlas Roofing Corporation, 2012. Atlas roofing corporation. [Online]
Available at: http://www.atlasroofing.com/
[Senest hentet eller vist den 28 October 2012].
British precast concrete federation, 2008. The little green book of concrete. I: The little green book of concrete.
s.l.:British Precast, p. 40.
European metals alliance for recyclable & sustainable buildings, 2012. Metals for buildings. [Online]
Available at: http://www.metalsforbuildings.eu/
[Senest hentet eller vist den 26Th October 2012].
Institute of civil engineers, 2008. ICE. [Online]
Available at: http://www.ice.org.uk/getattachment/eb09d18a-cb12-4a27-a54a-651ec31705f1/DemolitionProtocol-2008.aspx
[Senest hentet eller vist den 27 October 2012].
International Passive House Association, 2012. iPHA. [Online]
Available at: http://www.passiv.de/en/index.php
[Senest hentet eller vist den 29 October 2012].
Marian Keeler, B. B., 2009. Integrated Design for Sustainable Building. I: Fundementals of integrated design for
sustainable building. s.l.:Wiley, p. 29.
MBDC, 2012. McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry. [Online]
Available at: http://mbdc.com/detail.aspx?linkid=2&sublink=8
[Senest hentet eller vist den 29 October 2012].
NI business info, 2012. Northern Ireland Business information. [Online]
Available at:
http://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1086455210&site=191&type=RESOURCES
[Senest hentet eller vist den 27 October 2012].
Rockwool, 2012. Rockwool press news. [Online]
Available at: http://www.rockwool.com/press/news/news+view?newsid=2579
[Senest hentet eller vist den 27 October 2102].
Wiki glass, 2012. Wiki glass. [Online]
Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_recycling
[Senest hentet eller vist den 27 October 2012].

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Wiki kyoto, 2012. Kyoto Protocol. [Online]
Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol
[Senest hentet eller vist den 29 October 2012].
Wiki passive house, 2012. Passsive house. [Online]
Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house
[Senest hentet eller vist den 29 October 2012].
Wiki Stahel, 2012. Walter R Stahel. [Online]
Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_R._Stahel
[Senest hentet eller vist den 29 October 2012].
Wye, M., 2012. Mike Wye & Associates Ltd. [Online]
Available at: http://www.mikewye.co.uk/mikeprices.htm
[Senest hentet eller vist den 27 October 2102].

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Annex A.
Figure 6. Material Composition of an On-Site Construction House, Source: Wiedermann et al, 2003.

Figure 7. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Material Type of an onsite construction house. Source : Stockholm Environment Institute,
Resources and Energy Analysis Program.

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