Abstract

This research resides Passivhaus concept under the framework of adaptive comfort, reviews two case studies of
social housing Passivhaus communities in Scotland, and explores the occupants’ lived experience and their
perception of comfort in Passivhaus. The study focuses on the concept of comfort from a socio-technical point
of view in order to explore more effective adaptive opportunities that can be integrated at the design stage.
Through in-depth interviews with the occupants, site visits and architectural analysis, the research highlights
comfort issues in those two social housing Passivhaus projects, and identifies barriers and opportunities for
behavioural and psychological adaptations specifically for designing social housing Passivhaus. The findings
suggest that the Passivhaus concept has potential opportunities for promoting behavioral and psychological
adaptations and sustainable living. However, in order to ensure the energy performance, the design and delivery
of Passivhaus system in some cases tends to limit the role of occupants and their adaptive opportunities. The
research argues that through careful consideration of architectural and mechanical design, and through effective
communication of technology and supportive role of community to establish sustainable social norms, the social
housing Passivhaus can provide the opportunity for the occupants to ‘co-evolve’ with the house itself, and to
achieve a transformation to sustainable living.