Our Favourite: Passivhaus Buildings

Paul

Old Holloway Passivhaus

Juraj Mikurcik

I’m very fond of this building as it shows Passivhaus doesn’t need to be a high embodied carbon approach. The combination of materials (timber, clay, straw) and a beautifully crafted approach to the construction – much of the work was undertaken by Juraj himself make for a delightful home with a minimal impact on the environment. The cosy interior spaces with the soft clay plaster and polished concrete floor are particularly enjoyable.

Alan

Hill House

Meloy Architects

I love this small but beautiful Passivhaus designed and built by the architect for his young family. It’s only 125m2 in area, far smaller than most of the self-builds you see on TV but still packs in 4 generous bedrooms and a spacious, light filled kitchen living dining room. It’s restrained design has still allowed some care to spent on the finishes and details whilst sticking within a very reasonable £2000/m2 budget. 

Julie

BC Passive House Factory

Hemsworth Architecture

I picked this project as it’s very rare to see such a high quality sustainable design for a factory building. You can see that a lot of care and thought has been put into the details. I’d happily move to Canada and work there, look at that view!

Nathan

Hope View House

Warren Benbow Architects

I had the pleasure of attending an open day of this Paragraph 80 Passivhaus a few years ago and vividly remember the owners praising the performance and comfort, even on a hot summers day when this photo was taken. The south facing elevation provides incredibly far and wide views across the steep topography. The 1200 trees, orchard and meadow grass roof help set the building in its area of outstanding natural beauty. 

Anna

Goldsmith Street

Mikhail Riches

This has been a high profile project, and rightly so! It’s such an important example of the types of homes we should be creating, and the benefit of investing in quality housing to prevent people from being stuck in fuel poverty or unhealthy homes. 

Steve

UEA Enterprise Centre

Architype

I chose UEA Enterprise Centre because it’s great to see Passivhaus being used on such a big scale . Many of the materials that were used in the build are reused & recyclable. It’s a beautiful building and a fantastic place for students to go and learn. The project sets the tone to to encourage new sustainable businesses from its graduates.

Owais

Goldsmith Street

Mikhail Riches

 Another selection for Goldsmith Street highlights the popularity of this Passivhaus project. The attention to detail is great and I love a bit of good brickwork!