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>which is more about super-insulating a nearly airtight envelope

That last part is the problem. Insulation is a huge part in any passive home, but heating the air means keeping things airtight. Which means terrible air quality and living conditions.

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You still exchange the air with the outside, you just do it through a heat recovery ventilation system.

An introduction: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house

I am fully aware of what they are, we stopped building them for a reason. They are hell to live in. You get the bare minimum air exchange as required by code. Try being in such a building for a day. Properly constructed passive buildings use thermal mass to maintain comfortable temperatures while allowing proper ventilation.

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