Passivhaus at Futurebuild 2022

The built environment is responsible for 35% of total global energy consumption, and the construction industry must tackle this issue collectively. After a year's hiatus, Futurebuild returned live and in-person, and the Trust were delighted to be back alongside leading experts and practitioners with the shared mission to drive the construction industry towards zero carbon.

Over 3 consecutive days, thousands assembled at Futurebuild to exchange ideas, educate, and inspire each other, and the wider industry, through a series of talks, workshops and exhibitions. As a highly effective way of providing optimum standards of occupant comfort and health, slashing energy use and carbon emissions from buildings, Passivhaus was a crucial talking point at Futurebuild.

There was a real buzz around Stage 1 at FutureBuild, as the Good Homes Alliance and Passivhaus Trust sessions ran back-to-back on Tuesday afternoon. You could feel the momentum that we are seeing in industry to deliver on our Climate pledges.

Sarah Lewis, Research & Policy Director at Passivhaus Trust

Non-domestic Passivhaus Showcase

On the opening day, Passivhaus Trust CEO Jon Bootland chaired an engaging session on Non-domestic Passivhaus ‘firsts’ on the Keynote Stage. Three case-studies explored how Passivhaus is currently being scaled-up, paving the way for potential future schemes across a variety of building types.

UK's first Passivhaus healthcare centre

Peter Ranken, Director of Sustainability at PHT member Tooley Foster, presented on Foleshill Health Centre - the first NHS building to achieve Passivhaus certification.

Foleshill is set to revolutionise health care design by providing an affordable design framework that can replicated at speed and scale across the whole of the NHS estate, and the UK.

Not only is the health centre predicted to demonstrate unparalleled energy performance and occupant comfort compared with existing buildings in the sector, but the NHS is also projected to save approximately £1M in operating costs over 25 years following construction. According to a study at Northolt, the Passivhaus route would have been cheaper compared with other options, due to incredible savings in operational energy over the building’s lifetime.

Peter exclusively revealed that the project was already performing better than originally expected, placing great emphasis on the value that Passivhaus certification provides.

UK's first large-scale mixed-use & student accommodation

Dr Thomas Henriksen, Director of PHT member Henriksen Studio, presented the first large-scale student accommodation and mixed-use development aiming for Passivhaus certification.

Palmerston Court in Battersea aims to deliver the most energy-efficient mixed-use scheme in the UK to date, providing a robust framework for up-scaling Passivhaus in urban sites.

Featuring an innovative façade design, the scheme intends to eliminate over-heating issues all year round that are commonly found in high-rise buildings, improving occupant comfort and wellbeing.

Interestingly, Thomas emphasised that Passivhaus enables the construction industry to meet tighter building regulations that will potentially be in place across Europe and the US in the very near future.

UK's first retrofit school

Finally, Sarah Lewis, Passivhaus Trust Research and Policy Director, delved into the details of St Sophia’s Primary, set to be the UK’s first EnerPHit school.

With a rising uptake of Passivhaus schools in the UK, St.Sophia's is leading the way for existing educational buildings. An EnerPHit upgrade will provide high levels of comfort all year round and the heating demand by over 80% - drastically improving learning environments for pupils and staff.

Reducing the operational energy has great advantages for the school, both socially and financially. Sarah also highlighted that the project has undergone a review of embodied carbon through the PHribbon plugin to PHPP in a bid to reduce the school's overall carbon footprint.

We hope this will be the first of many certified EnerPHit schools as we look forward to the decarbonisation of Education estates across the country.

Futurebuild 2022 | Non-Domestic Passivhaus Showcase. Image credit: Passivhaus Trust

The Passivhaus Showcase explored how we are beginning to see a shift of emphasis on non-domestic schemes, with large-scale pioneering projects beginning to emerge. The session highlighted the exciting possibilities for Passivhaus in future-proofing the non-domestic sector, strengthening UK construction industry's sustainability agenda.

PHT member exhibitions

Futurebuild also housed a curated exhibition of manufacturers and suppliers of technology, products, and services. The Passivhaus presence was strong, with PHT Patrons and members exhibiting displays and presentations spaces, as well as Certified Passivhaus Components.

We were particularly impressed by PHT member Kiss House who assembled a mini presentation stage using three construction sections which will later be used for the first home in Reading aiming for Passivhaus standard.

Discover more

Passivhaus Benefits Guide

Did you spot the free download of the Passivhaus Benefits Guide on the Futurebuild media wall? Incase you missed it, download here and learn for yourself about nearly 50 types of benefits relating to Passivhaus.

Futurebuild 2022 | Media Wall

Passivhaus Retrofit Masterclass Lecture Series

Retrofit is rising up the agenda due to the accelerating cost of living crisis and EnerPHit is more relevant than ever before. Join us for our two remaining lectures of the Passivhaus Retrofit Masterclass Lecture Series, taking an in-depth dive into how EnerPHit can be achieved for Multi-residential and Non-Domestic buildings.

If you have missed previous lectures in the series (Solid wall, Cavity Wall, Step-by-Step) there is still a chance to purchase the full series recordings and catch up in your own time!