Knauf Insulation announced as latest UK Passivhaus Awards sponsor

We are delighted to announce PHT Patron member Knauf Insulation as a sponsor of the 2023 UK Passivhaus Awards.

Knauf Insulation is the UK leading provider of insulation in new homes and the only UK manufacturer of both glass and rock mineral wool insulation solutions, so best placed to recommend the right product for each application. Its mission is to ‘Challenge conventional thinking and create innovative insulation solutions that shape the way we live and build in the future, with care for the people who make them, the people who use them and the world we all depend on’.

Knauf Insulation’s sustainability journey started close to 15 years ago, with the launch of its unique bio-based binder, the ECOSE® Technology. Today, it is lived through its ‘For A Better World’ sustainability strategy, and its four Pillars (Put People First, Achieve Zero Carbon, Deliver a Circular Economy and Create Better Buildings). Its latest innovations include performance measurement and specification assurance technologies, along with better performing products with reduced embodied carbon.

Vanessa Rae, Marketing & Sustainability Director, Knauf Insulation

Why are you sponsoring the UK Passivhaus Awards 2023?

Knauf Insulation mineral wool products are ideally suited to the stringent performance requirements of Passivhaus. Easy to install correctly around openings while adapting to imperfections in masonry surfaces, the snug fit helps to minimise air movement and achieve design performance under real world conditions.

The application of technology to measure whole house thermal performance in mainstream construction and retrofit will reveal what works and what doesn’t in creating thermally efficient homes. It is Passivhaus that provides the template for achieving this at scale, with principles and techniques that will allow every home to be built to perform.

What is your favourite certified Passivhaus project?

Denby Dale Passivhaus. Image credit: Green Building Store

We will always have a soft spot for the Denby Dale Passivhaus, which demonstrated that Passivhaus is possible and practical on a tight budget using traditional construction methods and materials, at a time when Passivhaus was seen as an expensive niche for specialist ecobuilders and sustainability devotees.

This is seen in the popularity and scale of Passivhaus 12 years later, where we’re seeing increasing numbers of Knauf Insulation products being specified, from individual family homes such as LEAP’s Preston Springs Passivhaus, up to the current development at Agar Grove, London, the 125-unit, multi-award-winning development project, created by the Hill Group for Camden Council, as part of their Community Investment Programme. With a proposed 507 new homes, once complete Agar Grove will be the largest Passivhaus development in the UK.

Preston Springs Passivhaus. Image credit: LEAP

Agar Grove Camden. Image credit: Camden Council

What do you hope to see in the Passivhaus Awards entries?

The Passivhaus Awards always has a wide variety of innovative, and architecturally interesting buildings and we’re sure this year will be no exception. With Scotland announcing its intention to adopt a Passivhaus equivalent for all new homes, we’ll be on the look out for designs and solutions that can be replicated and scaled in a broad range of locations. Design features that are cost-effective and can be integrated into standard building practices may have a greater chance of being adopted on a larger scale, where developers can see the value in nurturing the skills required across all trades on site.

That scaling mustn’t come at the expense of broader sustainability. In light of the emerging focus on embodied carbon in construction, it would be great to see entries that provide recognition of the wider impact of construction, reduce construction waste, and contribute to a more sustainable built environment using mainstream materials.

Entries that are accessible to a wide range of building professionals, from architects to builders to engineers, also have a better chance of being scaled. Providing detailed documentation, technical guidance, and support to help ensure that the passive design features are implemented correctly will help remove barriers to enthusiastic developers new to Passivhaus.