Passivhaus accommodation for Cambridge University students at Cranmer Road won a CIBSE Building Performance Award thanks to an elegant, but simple, all-electric services design by Max Fordham that delivered high-performing buildings with occupant comfort at its heart
Tag: Passivhaus
Current thinking: connecting a large all-electric housing estate in West London
To connect the all-electric Convent Way Passivhaus scheme to the constrained local grid in West London, the project team has reduced the load estimate by 53% compared with the conventional Rule of Thumb calculation method. Andy Pearson speaks to QODA Consulting’s Henry Metcalfe about how this was achieved
Perfecting Passivhaus: Max Fordham’s experience of the fabric-first building method
Max Fordham has been designing Passivhaus projects for nine years, including two very different housing projects that won the residential CIBSE Building Performance Award in consecutive years. Gwilym Still chronicles the development of Passivhaus at the practice, and explains why it is integral to Max Fordham’s net zero strategy
Agar Grove: measuring the performance of a Passivhaus winner
The success of Agar Grove at the CIBSE Building Performance Awards was in part due to the focus on controlling overheating and minimising plant heat losses. Andy Pearson finds out how the Passivhaus approach helped tackle fuel poverty
Passivhaus rules
City of York Council is the latest local authority to strive for Passivhaus housing. Leda’s Jim Wild explains why the methodology is gaining traction
Testing the water – designing the UK’s first Passivhaus swimming pool
The UK’s first Passivhaus swimming pool, currently being developed by Exeter City Council, seeks to halve energy use and create a chemical-free, healthy environment. Andy Pearson speaks to project team members about the innovative design that aims to set new Passivhaus standards for pools
The Passivhaus that Max Fordham built
Max Fordham’s Passivhaus house features automated insulated shutters, developed to reduce night-time heat losses and to achieve an energy balance between gains and losses on a cold winter’s night. Liza Young reports
Quality as standard: Passivhaus consultant’s winning ways
CIBSE award-winning low energy design consultancy Warm has its roots in Passivhaus, and even put into practice its low-energy expertise by refurbishing its offices to the EnerPHit standard. Andy Pearson reports
Case study: Lark Rise, the UK’s first Passivhaus Plus
A Passivhaus Plus home in the Chiltern Hills establishes the ‘building as a power station’ concept and shows the viability of an electrical grid powered by renewable energy. Andy Pearson reports
Architype’s Jonathan Hines on perfecting Passivhaus
With two Passivhaus buildings winning 2018 CIBSE Building Performance Awards, Andy Pearson speaks to architect Jonathan Hines about the rise in popularity of the accredition system and why he thinks it may one day become mandatory in the UK