A major new scheme has begun in London, which will see 30 new passivhaus dwellings built in west London.

The scheme in west London’s Shepherds Bush is a development by social housing provider Octavia Housing. The organisation was the first to be awarded for a certified passivhaus retrofit for its project at 100 Princedale Road in London’s Holland Park, back in 2011. But now, the organisation has set its sites on a much larger project - to build 30 new houses which will be available for private sale, shared ownership and social rent.

The development will replace a 1960s council block which is set between a challenging multi-edged tight urban site between Shepherds Bush and Melrose conservation areas. It is these conservation areas which have required the architects to remain sympathetic to the original character of the area in the design. There will be eight private homes, nine homes for affordable rent and 13 homes for shared ownership.

The four housing blocks will incorporate the Homezone concept of shared spaces throughout to make the most of limited amenity space.

Sulgrave Gardens has been designed by Cartwright Pickard Architects, and is being delivered by MDA Consulting, Durkan Limited, Campbell Reith, Atlier 10 and Peter Warm. The contract is worth £5.3m.

The strict passivhaus principles have influenced the design of the scheme, for example, the incorporation of movable solar shading in the south and south-west facing façade windows to reduce thermal heat gain inside the properties. Levels of direct sunlight are controlled by the inclusion of sliding louver panels along the track in front of the windows. Solar heating and solar photovoltaic panels will be responsible for the heating and electricity in the properties, contributing to carbon reduction.

Robert Clark, Managing Director, Durkan commented “The Sulgrave Gardens development marks a significant progression in the construction of sustainable buildings. It’s part of Durkan’s commitment along with our partners to build sustainable homes for the future that are not only energy efficient but also offer cost-effective, long term benefits for residents. We look forward to helping Octavia set a new standard in London.”

The project will join the 20,000 homes, schools and offices that have been designed, built and certified to passivhaus standards in the UK, once the scheme is completed in November 2012.