HBPW’s managing director, Paul Withers, is now a trained Passivhaus designer, one of only a handful in the UK.
His new expertise, learned at the Building Research Establishment near Watford, means he is able to use his expert knowledge of cold stores to design houses that stay warm using the elements.
The ingenious holistic design method, pioneered in Germany, offers almost total independence from utility supplies and, thanks to Paul’s knowledge of cold store design, he has been able to use the techniques and principles learned for keeping heat out of chill zones, as a perfect grounding for understanding the design principles of high efficiency Passive Housing.
His new found skills mean he now has the capability to design buildings which meet the developing thermal performance element of the Building Regulations.
Low energy houses – or ‘green’ houses as they are sometimes known – can have a sizeable amount of concrete in them. Big windows allow the sun in during the day and the concrete absorbs the heat. Once the sun goes down, the concrete slowly releases the heat and the house stays at a nice, uniform, modulated temperature.
The Passivhaus design can also include sustainable features such as wind turbines, PV panels, with ground/air source heat pumps incorporated into the design.