The UK’s first certified passivhaus refurbishment has been awarded to social landlord Octavia Housing for its work at 100 Princedale Road.
Ryder Strategies, architects Paul Davis + Partners, energy consultants Eight Associations and consultant and project manager greentomatoenergy developed the 1850s Victorian terrace in Holland Park to meet passivhaus standards, cutting the home’s CO2 emissions by an estimated 83% and energy consumption by 94% (SB, September 2010). Such properties are notoriously leaky and inefficient, and proved a challenge for the team, but the design will save tenants an estimated £910 a year on fuel bills.
The team were awarded accreditation on 1 March by Dr Wolfgang Feist, founder of the Passivhaus Institute, and Peter Warm of WARM: Low Energy Building Practice.
Service manager of Octavia Housing, Lewis Lowe said the project had enabled the team to identify a range of refurbishment techniques and procedures that are not typical of a standard refurbishment.
"This has been an opportunity by Octavia to demonstrate that even the hardest of homes to heat can be refurbished to an exemplar standard."
The house is equipped with the UK’s first imitation sash triple glazed windows, to adhere to local conservation area constraints, super wall insulation, ESE solar thermal panels and a heat exchange system. The house does not feature radiators, a boiler or any sort of conventional heating system.
Pd+p project architect, Marion Baeli told SB: "Achieving passivhaus standard in Victorian housing stock, beside the fact that it is technically a ‘tour de force’, has the potential to help the increasing number of families in the UK facing the disastrous consequences of fuel poverty.
"This approach also offers optimum internal comfort, a healthy environment and helps improve the well being of people living in old existing houses."
Tenants have recently moved into the home, and will be monitored for a period of two years to assess the comfort level and efficiency of the home.
This data will be publically accessible via Octavia’s website.
www.greenoctavia.org.uk