Palmerston Court
| Location: Battersea, London | |
| Completion Status: 2024 | Occupancy: 2024 |
| Architect: Allford Hall Monaghan Morris | Consultant: Henriksen Studio |
| Contractor: Mace | Client: Urbanest |
| Certification: Passivhaus Classic, 2025 | Certifier: Passivhaus Insititut |
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Student accommodation in Battersea has just taken Passivhaus in the UK to a whole new level. Palmerston Court (also known as Urbanest Battersea) incorporates three Passivhaus-certified high-rise blocks that range in height from 11 to 19 storeys, housing 853 students in ensuite and studio rooms, alongside a cinema, a gym and roof terraces.The project is currently the tallest - and second largest - certified Passivhaus building in the UK, as well as the largest student dormitory or university building in Europe designed to Passivhaus standards.
Passivhaus was chosen by developer and student landlord Urbanest to to create an exemplar building that responds to the net zero challenge, and because it will ensure energy bills are minimised. The three student accommodation blocks are built on a four storey podium, allowing a centralised courtyard, and resulting in a certification of the project as a single Passivhaus building. A fourth commercial building is co-located but was not Passivhaus certified, but is bult to BREEAM standards.
Form factor on the project is very good - at a very low 1.04 - which meant that the project didn't require high levels of insulation or ultra low U values. The design of the windows was set with a glazing ratio of ¼ frame and ¾ glazing with windows mostly on north/south to avoid overheating issues.
PHT members Henriksen Studio worked as Passivhaus Consultants on the project.
Key stats
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From the start we wanted our Battersea development to be an exemplar for future projects not only in London but in cities all over the world that need to respond to the net zero challenge. This is just the beginning of our Passivhaus journey, and we look forward to continuing our work with the Passivhaus Insititute to achieve accreditation at urbanest Canary Wharf, and all further urbanest schemes going forward.
Angus Kearin, Head of Development, Urbanest
Construction
The project was built using steel frame and optimising the use of offsite MMC processes. A unitised façade system was chosen, offering excellent airtightness and the advantages of offsite manufacture, The façade was clad with a terracotta rainscreen, which contributed to the striking colour scheme and aesthetics of the project. Stainless steel brackets minimised any potential thermal bridging at the cladding detail. Thermal bridges were identified and evaluated by the project team using a bespoke automated modelling process. The project's roof and podium proved to be the most challenging areas for thermal bridging and airtightness.
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Urbanest Battersea exemplifies the benefits and innovation of Passivhaus design applied to student living. Students benefit from a thermally-stable space conducive to focus and relaxation, while the integration of renewable energy sources aligns with broader climate goals.
Dragos Arnautu, Passivhaus Certifier, Passivhaus Institut
U-values |
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Roof: 0.15 W/m2K (average) 195-300mm ProTherm G XPS insulation |
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Wall: 0.6 W/m2K (average & inclusive of opaque walls, windows and all façade thermal bridges) Unitised façade with 300mm of Rockwool insulation and a terracotta rainscreen cladding system. |
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Basement Wall: 0.6 W/m2K 150mm Ravatherm XPS insulation, with 100mm Marmox thermal block R2 nano under the lowest blockwork course |
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Floor: 0.21 W/m2K (basement) & 0.19 W/m2K (external) Basement: Various build-ups with approximately 100mm EPS insulation External: 200mm Foamglas insulation |
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Further information can be found at the International Passivhaus Database listing
Urbanest’s decision to pursue Passivhaus across all future developments reinforces their position at the forefront of sustainable construction. Passivhaus standards bring major benefits: exceptional energy efficiency, reduced running costs, consistent indoor comfort, and excellent air quality. Urbanest’s adoption of this approach ensures these advantages reach both residents and the environment.
Warren Stanley, Passivhaus Designer, Henriksen Studio
Building performance
Designed energy performance |
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Airtightness n50 (≤ 0.6ACH @ 50 Pa)
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0.28 @ 50 Pa
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Space Heating Demand (≤ 15 kWh/m².a)
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13 kWh/m².a
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Heating Load (≤ 10 W/m²)
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9 W/m²
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Primary Energy Demand (≤ 120 kWh/m².a)
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113 kWh/m².a
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Primary Energy Renewable Generation
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30 kWh/m².a
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*+/-15 kWh/m².a allowance if offset by energy generation. See Passivhaus criteria.
Services
Heating & hot water: Heat pumps and direct electricity provide the students' hot water and heating needs. Individuals have thermostats in room. Fan coil units are used within the ventilation system to heat and cool the air. An ambient loop is used to deliver a low temperature heat network that utilises a centralised energy source to circulate water through a network of pipes. Each connected building or apartment is equipped with a heat pump, which extracts heat from the ambient loop and raises it to a usable temperature for space heating and hot water.
Ventilation: Roof-mounted centralised MVHR systems were specified for the project, with some local MVHR units. The centralised MVHR was chosen because it minimised puncturing of the thermal envelope and was also easier for the landlord to control than lots of individual systems. The localised MVHRs did need to have penetrations to the outside wall. Studios without outside walls used local decentralised MVHR fitting into the ceiling void. For the roof-mounted MVHR systems, duct pipes were carefully insulated and protected.
Summer comfort: Fan coil units are used to heat and cool the air. Modelling in PHPP showed that If the building required a small amount of mechanical cooling to achieve summer comfort requirements.PHPP modelling has calculated that the building's cooling load is 4 W/m2 and cooling and dehumidification demand is 3 kWh /m2a. The building also has openable windows for purge ventilation if needed.
Challenges & lessons learned
On a project so large, it is not surprising that many of the project's challenges came down to scale and how to fast track the construction of the design & build project.
- Airtightess testing: Air testing was a key challenge, including establishing how to test sectional airtightness on a large construction site, as well as planning and testing the final airtightness test
- Project documentation: In order to document the project for Passivhaus certification, it was important to be able to manage the flow of information from the Design & Build subcontractors, to streamline the certification process
- PHPP inputting: Inputting the project's data into PHPP involved developing system PHPP inputs for specialised items such as the unitised façade, ambient loop and building pumping strategy.
- Quality champion: The crucial role of the Passivhaus and airtightness quality champion on the project was a key learning from the project.
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Key team
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The Palmerston Court development is Urbanest’s first Passivhaus scheme. The company is working on a second, due for completion in 2026, in London's Canary Wharf, which could potentially be the largest residential Passivhaus development in the world,
Congratulations to the whole team for delivering the UK's tallest and second largest Passivhaus building to date! The myriad benefits of Passivhaus, including the radical reduction of energy bills, makes it very attractive option for student accommodation providers and we look forward to seeing many more going forward.
You may also like
If you are working on a high-rise project, educational building or a large and complex Passivhaus, the Passivhaus Trust has the resources to help with your project. Plus, don't miss the UK & Ireland Passivhaus Conference from 7-8 October 2025, in Belfast and online, for more largescale Passivhaus project inspiration!
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Further information
Passivhaus for Educational Buildings
Previous PHT story: Battersea Passivhaus high-rise underway – 3 November 2021
Previous PHT story: Passivhaus set to reach Canary Wharf heights – 30 September 2021
