The project is a certified passivhaus scheme and maintains an almost constant temperature, therefore requiring minimal energy for heating and cooling purposes. This is our first passivhaus scheme and one that we are very proud to have delivered.

Innovation:
The pre-construction design fell short of the passivhaus requirements. Our team worked closely with Mole architects to work through the PHPP model variations as tweaks to the MEP strategy, frame and airtightness design was finalised.

Materials were carefully sourced to reflect the low carbon, low energy nature of the building. Warmcell, rockwool and wood fibre insulation were all utilised. A final passivhaus certification was confirmed following final air tests to the building following months of hard work on site and by our design team.

Airtightness:
High levels of air tightness are required to maintain the ambient temperatures required of a passivhaus building. We achieve 0.61 (lower than the Passivhaus requirement of 0.64 h-1@50 Pa) despite significant challenges due to the nature of the timber frame and complex air tightness lines. The detailing on site was worked through using an Airtightness manual, produced by our architect, Mole. This enabled our site champion to follow and monitor installation against these details each day.

The project received Best New Build over £2m Highly Commended at the CFCI 2024 Awards, as well as Best Later Living/Supported Living Design and the Judges Award for Sustainable Project of the Year at the British Homes Awards 2024.