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PassivHaus Units at Mulberry Park Bath

Somerset

Project Details

£0.5m to £0.99M

Practice

Powell Dobson Architects Ltd

Suite 1F, Building One , The Eastern Business Park, Wern Fawr Lane , Old St. Mellons , CARDIFF , CF3 5EA , United Kingdom

Powell Dobson have been collaborating for several years with Curo, on their flagship scheme, Mulberry Park in Foxhill, Bath. Following the successful technical delivery of phase 1, the attention was turned to phases 3 & 4. During the planning stage for Phase 3, it was discovered that the sustainability credentials expected for the scheme had become much more onerous. Not content with simply carrying out a box ticking exercise, Powell Dobson presented the PassivHaus concept to Curo and the local council, as a way of not only meeting, but far surpassing the high sustainability credentials set out within the planning policy. A 4 unit terrace was chosen within the phase 3 layout, which has been designed as a fully certified PassivHaus. The specification is such that heat losses are kept to a minimum, through a combination of high levels of insulation, no air leakage, a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system, triple glazed windows and insulated doors as well as clever manipulation of the buildings orientation. This fabric first design will mean the heating requirements for the homes will be far lower than standard building regulation rated buildings, offering the owners reduced energy bills and a more comfortable environment to live in. This specialist design service is provided by our own in house certified PassivHaus Designer, and experienced technical team. The success of the Phase 3 design has meant that phase 4 will have two 4 unit terraces, with the plan of rolling out PassivHaus units on most new Curo schemes in the future.