Sustainable
design
If you would like to know more about our Sustainable design services contact Louisa Bowles
Passivhaus designer
Passivhaus is the fastest growing energy performance standard in the world. It takes a ‘fabric first’ approach to energy performance and human comfort, which can cut heating bills in homes by as much as 90 per cent compared to conventional design. We employ certified Passivhaus designers and ensure all staff have training in the fundamental principles. As well as designing Passivhaus certified homes we are increasingly seeing the methodology and certification being used on other typologies to ensure predictable energy in-use, comfort, and high-quality workmanship.
We are the Passivhaus Designer for the third phase of the Agar Grove estate regeneration project, working for Camden and also the contractor Hill Partnerships. We have been working alongside Max Fordham who as Passivhaus Consultant is responsible for the PHPP planning tool, thermal bridge modelling and liaison with the Passivhaus certifier, regarding documentation and evidencing.
We have detailed the external envelope without contractor design portion, initially focused on window brackets as the largest unknown thermal bridge, and developed details that ensured balustrades and window reveals could be supported by either brickwork and their support angles, or in some instances, thermally broken structure. Air tightness at a block level has been simplified by creating air tight party walls – redundant once complete – but key to enable more efficient testing. At a detail level the geometry and number of multiple tapes used on individual junctions has been significantly simplified from previous phases.