ABSTRACT
To the extent that the PH approach is an evolution in building science, then the renovation of 153 units of social housing to meet the PH standard in Kerkrade-West, a district in the southeast of the Netherlands, is one of its hardiest offspring. When the housing association, HEEMwonen, asked for design proposals for the sustainable renovation of their almost 40-year-old housing complex, transforming it into "The Existing District of Tomorrow", they had some specific requirements. Kerkrade lies close to the German border, and its climate is similar to that where PH originated. It lies in a district that used to have ample jobs related to the local coal mines, but those jobs dried up in the 1960s, leading to the need for and construction of this social housing in 1974. The renovation of Kerkrade-West demonstrates a practical means of meeting that goal, reducing carbon emissions from the housing sector, and increasing occupant satisfaction-a win-win-win for all.
