News
passivehouse+ | Issue 14
Bristol City Council aim for ‘passive house plus’ with 23 new eco homes
Bristol City Council have appointed Gale & Snowden Architects as lead consultants on a scheme of 23 dwellings aiming for passive house plus certification. This new development is spread across five brownfield sites, and all the units are also designed to meet Code for Sustainable Homes level four and Lifetime Homes standards. It is one of a number of new passive house developments that Gale & Snowden is working on, including the recently announced Rennes House social housing scheme of 26 one and two bedroom flats in Exeter. Gale & Snowden Architects said that its approach to sustainable construction is to rigorously employ passive house design principles to ensure that, through a fabric first approach, its buildings use minimum amounts of energy and water; while being comfortable, easy to use and healthy for the occupants by meeting ‘building biology’ best practice guidance.
The units in the Bristol City Council development are designed to meet the new ‘passive house plus’ standard, which rewards buildings that generate renewable energy on site as well as meeting the rigorous traditional passive house energy efficiency requirements. The development will feature rendered masonry walls and trussed timber construction with clay tiles externally.
of a building by future proofing it against the effects from climate change without adding costs to a project. (above and below) Site plans and elevations of some of the new Gale & Snowden designed passive house plus dwellings for Bristol City Council
Meanwhile the landscape design will focus on food production, water, energy and shelter in a way that also enhances the natural environment by employing permaculture design principles. It will aim to integrate the new development with its surroundings and creates a sense of ownership and community among its residents. Enabled by funding from the Technology Strategy Board, Gale & Snowden has been at the forefront of developing integrated design strategies that help to extend the useful life
Kingspan reports sustainability success & net zero energy progress Kingspan Insulation has published its latest Sustainability & Responsibility Report, highlighting a year of continued growth and sustainable development. To ensure transparency, the report has been conducted under the rigorous requirements of international independent standards organization the Global Reporting Initiative. As per Kingspan’s previous reports, the company was assessed against the GRI’s Sustainability Reporting Framework Level B+, which is backed with external assurances. The report highlights the company’s continued work towards the goal of net zero energy demand across all Kingspan Insulation sites. A range of energy saving measures have been implemented at the firm’s manufacturing facility in Pembridge, Herefordshire, and two new anaerobic digesters are now providing heat and power to the site.
Kingspan Insulation is firmly committed to maintaining the highest standards in responsible sourcing. All Kooltherm, KoolDuct and Therma insulation products and cavity closers manufactured at its sites in Selby and Pembridge are now certified as ‘Excellent’ under the the BES 6001 (Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products) standard. The report also provides an overview of the latest product developments, with the Kingspan Optim-R vacuum insulation panel moving into full scale production. The panels provide an optimum level of thermal efficiency, with a minimal product thickness, and a number of new system applications have been brought to market, including the popular Kingspan Optim-R balcony and terrace system.
achieved in both Kingspan TEK building systems and Kingspan TEK cladding panel applications, without the need for additional insulation. (below) A range of energy saving measures have been installed at Kingspan’s facility in Pembridge, including a 799kWp solar photovoltaic array
Kingspan has also announced the launch of a new 172mm Kingspan TEK panel, which allows U-values of 0.16 W/m2K, or better, to be
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