Alta Lake Passive House The ambitious Passive House goals need to be achieved responsibly. Bernhardt says there is a high level awareness that the market transformation requires a mind shift incor- porating education, component development, consumer awareness and incentives. Though achieving Passive House is not as difficult as many assume, he says there still must be that ‘aha mo- ment’ when people take the time to look at Passive House closely enough and recognize how relatively easy it is to improve buildings. Alta Lake Passive House “What is most interesting is the Passive House is not a standard promoted by government or a big organization with a marketing budget. It is rather a movement that has been driven by consumer demand, by building owners.” He says in B.C. non-profit housing has seen an uptake of Passive House while globally the concept has been im- plemented in schools, hospitals, offices and retail build- ings, among others. Within the next year the number of visible Passive House projects will grow exponentially, Bernhardt says. “In Victoria alone there are currently seven Passive House proj- ects either in design or under construction. In the previous two years there had been one built in each of those years. There are another 40 buildings completed, in design or under construction in the province.” Passive House Canada is an affiliate of the International Passive House Association and a member of the North American Passive House Network. The organization works in collaboration with other green building associations and organizations to “transform the built environment, to cre- ate more comfortable and healthier buildings, while con- tributing to a sustainable future.” For more information, visit www.passivehousecanada.com. The Canadian Design and Construction Report — July - August 2016 – 39