Passivhaus Principles and Certification

Super-insulated building envelope to minimize heat loss/gain. This apartment block meets this requirement because the external walls will have a double layer of insulation in the envelope of the wall, 75mm and 100mm, to minimize the heat loss from the building.

Airtight building envelope to prevent energy waste.

This principle is also met with our design because the components of the walls will be air tight. This is by ensuring the bricks, block and insulation are tightly fitted and where there is an overlap in materials, air tight tape and sealant will be used to ensure air doesn’t leak out of the walls.

High-performance windows and doors with low U-values. This principle will be met as we will use triple glazed windows filled with argon gas in this apartment block and their U value ranges from 0.15-0.22, depending on the manufacturer. Also, we will use AGILA Passivhaus doors for this project as they have a U value of 0.74. Also, these doors can have a finish of aluminium or GRP, so they are energy efficient and aesthetically pleasing.

Thermal bridge-free construction, using continuous insulation. This requirement will be met as all of the external walls and partition walls will contain insulation in their envelope to keep as much warm air in the spaces as possible.

High-performance building components to achieve energy efficiency. This will project will only use high performance components, such as windows, doors and building materials to ensure the U value requirements are adhered to and the components are durable so they don’t have to be repaired or changed a lot.

Sun shading to prevent overheating in summer, and passive solar architecture to maximize heat gain in winter. The apartment block has been purposely designed with the sun path around the site in mind, this means that the internal walls of the apartments are set back from the exterior walls of the structure. This was for aesthetics and functionality because the external walls have an arch shape and also they shade the apartment walls from direct sunlight entering the rooms so there isn’t a substantial gain in heat.

Efficient lighting system and energy-saving light bulbs to minimize energy consumption. This apartment block will only use LED lighting as appose to traditional halogen bulbs. This is because they last a lot longer, they require less energy to power and they produce for light than traditional bulbs.

Efficient appliances and equipment to minimize energy consumption. This requirement will be met by only installing grade A energy rated appliances in to the apartments.

Renewable energy systems such as solar panels, wind turbines, or ground source heat pumps where possible. This standard will be met as the apartment block will have solar panels on the roof of the building to absorb as much sunlight as possible to be converted in to electric for use in the apartments.

Theuseofnatural/eco-friendlymaterialstoreducecarbonemissionsandenhancesustainability.

As this project is primarily built using brick, block, CLT and clay; this principle will be fulfilled as each of these materials have low embodied carbon properties and they can be recycled. Therefore, the materials required can be sourced from a recyclable supplier and when they are no longer required for use in this project, they can be recycled so that there is no waste produced .