Waldsee BioHaus
Concordia Language Villages’ Waldsee BioHaus is the first certified Passive House in North America and recently won the 2007 Minnesota Environmental Initiative Award for air quality and climate protection. The BioHaus, located at the German Language Village near Bemidji, Minn., serves as a residence and an environmental living center for language and cultural immersion programs for young people from all 50 states.
The environmental award recognizes the Waldsee BioHaus’ impressive 24-hour air/heat exchange system featuring an 85 percent efficient heat recovery unit. The system provides the interior with superior air quality and the building’s air-tight construction and super-insulation envelope reduces total energy consumption, resulting in a dramatic reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.
The BioHaus adheres to the world’s most stringent energy consumption standard for buildings, Germany’s Passivhaus Standard, and is the most air-tight building in the United States. The building consumes 85 percent less energy than a house of the same size constructed by Minnesota code.
Sustainability
