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Always featuring numerous articles on a wide range of eco-building projects from all around the UK, most of which are written by the very people that designed or built them. It is the ideal read for architects, builders, developers, self builders and anyone interested in eco-building, including interested homeowners/clients.
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Passivhaus flats for Exeter tenants |
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16 Mar 2011, 10:01 PM
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The first phase of a pioneering super-energy-efficient housing development for Exeter City Council has been completed. The three flats making up Rowan House in Sivell Place, Exeter are among the first social housing accommodation in the UK to be built using the PassivHaus method for an apartment development. Described by Director of Affordable Housing at construction services group ISG Pearce, Steve Cains as “like wrapping the building in a giant tea cosy”, the PassivHaus method relies on stringent air tightness detailing and using far more insulation than traditional homes.
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This highly insulated, draught free envelope drastically reduces heating costs and tenants’ annual bills. “From the technical side of construction, the PassivHaus method is quite different,” explained Cains. “The homes are almost air tight and the air change rate is up to twenty times better than current building regulations. As a result, heat generated by residents in their homes from cooking, showering and the use of electrical appliances is captured and the warm air re-circulated using a mechanical ventilation system.
PassivHaus reduces heating costs by about 75 per cent which has significant whole life cycle cost benefits to the resident and Exeter City Council. The flats also have a number of features designed to improve the health of their tenants including the use of ceramic floor tiles to reduce dust mite infestation, minimal volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – for example not using PVC in pipes and wiring - and radial electric circuits to reduce electro-magnetic radiation. The project, a partnership between ISG Pearce and Exeter City Council, has provided the city with its first new council homes in more than 20 years.
A further 18 homes will be constructed using the PassivHaus method in Merlin Crescent, Exeter. The project is one of more than 50 PassivHaus schemes underway in the UK. Across Europe more than 20,000 homes, schools, offices and other buildings have been built using this standard. The construction company which is headquartered in Bristol, is a founder member or the PassivHaus Trust, an independent, non-profit organisation providing leadership in the UK for the adoption of the PassivHaus standard and methodology.
Rowan House was designed by Exeter-based architects Gale & Snowden, who specialise in energy-efficient and ecological projects.
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