Passivhaus

Passivhaus is a rigorous low energy standard based on building physics, with clearly measured targets focussed on user comfort, high-quality construction, healthy indoor environments and low fuel bills.

Arbor Architects have delivered several certified Passivhaus projects over the past decade from design through to completion on site. Projects have pioneered low energy architecture, notably the RIBA award winning and the first Passivhaus Plus Commercial project, Bicester Eco Business Centre, and Fishleys Passivhaus delivered in a ANOB nestled on the outskirts of a coppice.

Along with the understanding of building physics that creates low energy architecture, we never take our ‘Architect / Designer’ hats off. Our work is underpinned by the ethos that delivering well-crafted, timeless and enriching spaces is only possible if the architecture is rooted in its context and designed in collaboration with the people who will inhabit and interact with it. We believe our approach to Passivhaus and EnerPHit perfectly aligns and creates spaces of architectural delight, that are seamlessly energy-efficient, healthy and environmentally responsive.

Arbor Architects are members of the Passivhaus Trust and are Certified Passivhaus Designers.

What is Passivhaus?

The Passivhaus Standard is a specific building construction standard that provides good comfort conditions during winter and summer without traditional space heating systems and active cooling. Established in Germany in the 1990s, its purpose is to reduce CO2 emissions from the built environment by adopting a whole-building approach with clear, measured targets, focused on high-quality construction and certified through an exacting quality assurance process. In summary, Passivhaus buildings provide a high level of occupant comfort, using very little energy for heating and cooling. Read more about the standard here.

Passivhaus Projects

  • Bicester Eco Business Centre

    The RIBA Award-winning building is the UK’s first Passivhaus Plus non-residential building. The BREEAM Outstanding co-working office spaces make the most of natural materials and natural light through solar-controlled facades.

  • The Tin Barn Enerphit

    Our clients wanted to turn a derelict set of barns into an exemplary Passivhaus home. On a rural plot on the outskirts of Bath, they wanted a home that would be more manageable in scale and more cost-effective to run, allowing them to live more sustainably. They also needed space to work from home and let a vegetable plot flow between the wildflower meadows into the rolling countryside beyond.

  • Fishleys Passivhaus

    At the base of British Camp in the Malvern Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), this timber frame Passivhaus nestles into its unique woodland setting. The house sits on the site of an old barn and was certified as a Passivhaus on its completion in 2017

  • Gellideg Wellbeing Centre

    Working with the Gellideg Foundation over a number of years to design a high quality, Passivhaus Wellbeing Centre on one of the most economically and socially deprived estates in Britain.

  • Oldbury Court Passivhaus Dwellings

    These 15 flats are designed for Brighter Places, an ambitious new housing association, who aim to achieve both Passivhaus and Zero Carbon in operation with this new development. On a tight suburban plot in Fishponds (Bristol), the 3 blocks of apartments are orientated due south to maximise solar gains. The resulting pockets of external space provide both public and private amenity space for residents.

  • Hawksfield Passivhaus Low Energy

    Our clients wanted to build a new home on a beautiful, rural plot of land adjacent to their existing house in the village of Clifford, Herefordshire. They wanted a home that would be more manageable in scale and more cost-effective to run, allowing them to live more sustainably. They also needed space to run their rural business and to grow organic produce on their plot.

How We Work - Low Energy Design

As a practice working at the forefront of low-carbon design, we embrace innovation both in our design processes and construction methodologies and have a strong track record of utilising modern construction methods to meet our client’s brief requirements. 

We use Revit, an integrated 3D building modelling software that allows us to coordinate design team information early in the design process, enabling clash detection and the optimisation of the building fabric. It also allows us to generate graphics and fly-throughs for our clients to fully understand and test proposals.

As certified Passivhaus CEPH designers and AECB members, we use energy modelling from early design stages to test the proposals and ensure they maximise energy efficiency in the most economical ways, ensuring whole life costings are considered, as well as upfront capital costs.