UK - passivehouseplus.co.uk

The Environmental and Sustainable Construction Association (Éasca) is merging with the Association for Environment Conscious Building (AECB), the two organisations have announced.

A major new £36m secondary school in Sutton, designed by passive architecture specialists Architype, has successfully received planning permission.

ECON Polyurethanes have recently launched the new BASF Elastospray LWP (low warming potential) spray-foam insulation system to the UK and Irish markets. According to BASF, Elastospray LWP “combines maximum insulation performance with the best possible environmental protection”.

Keystone Lintels has announced the launch of a new advanced version of its award winning Hi-therm lintel. Hi-therm has won multiple awards for innovation, and Keystone said that its design has now been upgraded to offer “even greater practicality to builders and to extend its benefits to a wider range of projects”.

Solecco Solar launched its innovative solar roof tile solution at the UK Construction Week trade show which took place on 10 to 12 October at the NEC in Birmingham.

An innovative paint-on airtightness product has the potential to revolutionise deep retrofit, leading sustainable building product distributor Ecomerchant has claimed

Leading passive and low energy building contractor Bow Tie Construction is looking to recruit site supervisors and builders in the Dorset and Hampshire areas.

On 13 June, in an address about retrofit policy to the joint conference of the Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, I suggested that the UK retrofit industry is dangerously incompetent, and that is why we need to implement the Each Home Counts industry review. Little did I know that in less than twenty-four hours those words would come back to haunt me in the most horrific way, writes Dr Peter Rickaby.

Leading passive house contractor Bow Tie and build system provider Beattie Passive have begun collaboration on a series of passive house projects in London and surrounding areas, with Bow Tie recently supplying labour for the erection of a three storey Beattie Passive house in Clapham, South London.

Leading low energy ventilation supplier Sustainable Homes Scotland has advised anyone carrying out a deep retrofit — or building a small low energy dwelling — to consider the benefits of a new generation of decentralised mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems.

Leading ventilation manufacturer Airflow Developments has added variable air volume (VAV) dampers to its Duplexvent range of commercial mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) units. The VAV systems constantly monitor the air volume supplied and share this information with the ventilation unit. As such, the systems ensure optimum air quality and comfort by allowing the ventilation to respond effectively to the demands of each area of the building.

The UK’s first energy positive classroom has recently opened at Swansea University. Built by Swansea University’s Specific Innovation and Knowledge Centre, the Active Classroom generates, stores and releases its own solar energy.

Naked house, the pre-fabricated passive house construction company, is launching a new ultra-low cost construction option aimed at charitable and community based organisations.

Report author Prof Diana Ürge-Vorsatz praises “fantastic” Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown passive house policy

2016’s UK Passivhaus Conference, which took place in London in October, was the biggest yet, with 300 delegates and another 100 visitors to the expo that ran in parallel. Also in attendance were students from half a dozen architecture schools, some of whom had risen before dawn for the chance to attend.

Leading timber frame manufacturer Cygnum picked up five awards during one week in October, in recognition of some of the high profile passive-certified projects it has completed in recent years.

A stylish new home in South Manchester has achieved exceptional levels of airtightness through a combination of careful detailing and a high performance structure, provided by the Kingspan TEK building system.

ISH, the world’s “leading trade fair for the bathroom experience, building services, energy, air-conditioning technology and renewable energies” takes place from 14 to 18 March 2017 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

The AECB (Association for Environment Conscious Building) has invested over five years of extensive research to put together a unique online advanced retrofit training course, which brings together a wealth of knowledge on low energy retrofit and methodology.

Low energy builders Bow Tie Construction have joined up with Loxone Smart Home to become silver partners, enabling Bow Tie to design Loxone systems and install the company’s home automation products.

MBC Timber Frame Ltd has announced the opening of its new manufacturing and design premises at Quedgeley Court, Gloucester. The company told Passive House Plus that it has the capacity to manufacture 50,000 to 60,000 square metres of passive housing per year at the new facility. 

Prefab passive house specialists naked house Ltd recently completed the installation of a fully integrated passive house services system at their Marsh Road project in Shropshire. MVHR and solar thermal system are a standard part of the naked house system, with extra optional modules to enhance the building’s potential to save the occupants’ running costs. At Marsh Road, this included a log burner, thermal store and central logic control system. 

Although full passive house training is regarded as the best way to gain an in-depth understanding of all aspects of passive house design, some construction professionals may not have the time or resources to be able to attend the typical two week passive house course. 

Ventilation system manufacturer Aereco has announced the launch of its new Aereco Quality Standard.

Leading passive house design and product supplier Young Design Build has announced that it has become the Irish and UK agent for D&M solar shading, the leading German manufacturer of external shutter technology and blind solutions. Stephen Young of Young Design Build told Passive House Plus that D&M’s systems are designed to prevent overheating in buildings with large expanses of glass. 

Energy efficiency is the “first fuel”, meaning fabric-first approaches to reducing energy use in the building stock are essential, a leading Irish academic and sustainable architect has claimed. 

Passive House + has been widely praised for its editorial content, technical information and the relevance of its advertising in a survey of AECB members.

Ancon has extended its STC steel-to-concrete balcony connector range with two new high performance products and a standard series of connectors manufactured from stainless steel.  

Saffron Acres is a social housing development in Leicester that is set to be the largest affordable passive house scheme in the country.

GMS Insulations Ltd, the Irish distributor for Icynene spray foam insulations, has announced the launch of a range of new Icynene products to the Irish and UK markets.