The paper describes one of the energy-efficient building concepts – a passive house. In the course of the works there was simulated a multifamily residential house in order to determine its constructive and spatial parameters that would ensure a passive house with energy efficiency consistent to standards. For the building simulation there were applied the climatic data of the capital of Latvia Riga. Initially there was chosen an optimal orientation of the building and maximum theoretical insolation of the building. At the second stage there were studied the external factors – the shade caused by the surrounding buildings and the effect of the building orientation dictated by urban conditions on the previously achieved energy efficiency rating. The results evidence that the layout of window apertures and the change of orientation, as well as shading caused by the surrounding buildings, play a significant role in the rating of the building energy efficiency, nonetheless it does not interfere with achieving the passive house standards.