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Render of Pipers Square passive home complex in Dublin, Ireland. (Image courtesy Cairn Homes)

The Pipers Square complex will include 598 units, which developers believe will produce 40% savings on energy bills, while maintaining a constant interior temperature of 20-degree Celsius throughout.

The residential complex is expected to open in June 2025.

Cairn is currently working on three other massive passive house projects, all in the Dublin, Ireland area: a 608-unit complex called Seven Mills (to open June 2025), a 255-unit complex named Whitehaven (due open in March 2026), and Niven Oaks – a 268-unit project set to open in June 2026.

A value for the projects was not provided.

What are passive homes?

Passive homes are defined as structures built to voluntary conforming standards that subsequently use less energy for space-heating and space-cooling, ultimately lowering the carbon footprint.

Specifically, to be considered a passive home, the structure must:

• Use up to 15 kWh/m² of floor area annually for heating and cooling (as calculated by the Passive House Planning Package), or a peak heat load of 10 W/m2 of floor area, based on local climate data.
• Use up to 60 kWh/m² of floor area annually for primary energy including heating, hot water and electricity.
• Leak air up to 0.6 times the house volume per hour at 0.0073 psi as tested by a blower door, or up to 1.4 L/min per sq ft of the surface area of the enclosure.

Passive homes can differ from conventional homes in their architecture and specialised ventilation systems, as well as typically thicker-than-average walls and insulation. Passive homes, depending on where they are built, can cost up to 10% more than a conventional build.

Exact regulation (if any is established) on qualifying homes as “passive” varies country-to-country.

A housing complex in Heidelberg, Germany, that was built to Passive House Standard. (Image: Adobe Stock)