Pittenweem Passivhaus

A pilot project saw Campion Homes construct the first Passivhaus in the affordable homes sector in the UK.

We were appointed main contractor for this innovative pilot project early in the design stage. This allowed our input into value engineering, buildability and provided access to specialist subcontractors.

The project was to design and build a Passivhaus for the affordable homes market. As a pilot project, and to ensure that the concept is successful, an array of monitoring equipment was installed to evaluate the various renewable technologies over a two year period. This will allow considered decisions to be made when specifying future projects.

A gap site was identified within an existing development with an elevated south facing aspect, ideal for Passivhaus requirements. As the first Passivhaus for the affordable homes market, and one of the few within the UK, there was a steep learning curve for all parties on the nuances of the requirements for compliance. For example, the door cannot have a letter plate as this impacts on air tightness but has a wall mounted post box in place of this.

During the design stage, it was also instructed that the house achieve a high ECO Homes rating and ‘Very Good’ was set as the target.

As an exemplar of innovative construction, a super insulated timber frame was used as part of a thin wall construction technique. This technique removes the need for an external leaf with the rain screen, in this case a JUB render system, applied to insulation which is fixed directly to the timber frame.

The house was designed to provide a highly sustainable family home to assist with on going research. The home incorporated renewable technology, including solar thermal panels, air source heat pump heating and solar photovoltaics. 

A Scotframe Supawall Delux closed panel system was used, reducing construction time and providing additional benefits including increased air tightness and reduced wastage. 

The enhanced design and thermal insulation resulted in a highly efficient home.

Return to previous page