Demonstrating the 'Passivhaus' standard for the Scottish volume housing market.

Deveci, Gokay; Mitchell, Grigor

Abstract

Can 'Passivhaus' standard houses be rolled out to the Volume Housing Market? This is the outcome for the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) funded research proposal, titled "Demonstrating the 'Passivhaus' Standard for the Scottish Volume Housing Market", which is being undertaken in partnership with Dandara Limited (DA) and Robert Gordon University (RGU). A deeper understanding of the performance of the Passivhaus Homes in Scotland is required if the 'Passivhaus' Standards are to find widespread application in the mass market volume housing sector. This will enable Scotland to meet its CO2 reduction targets and address the performance gap. This applied research project will test the hypothesis that the 'Passivhaus' standards (PH) can be applied to provide high-quality housing at a competitive cost level, utilising the local Scottish supply chain and taken to mass market. The two dwellings were successfully built to the certified 'Passivhaus' standards by Dandara Homes. Both of these builds utilised a timber frame designed and manufactured in Scotland, and erected by a locally based specialist timber fame installer. This project demonstrates that the design and construction skills are thus evidently available in Scotland, implying that this research can act as a viable template for other volume housebuilders. The project sets out the process of evaluation and improvement of a standard volume-market product. It highlights what is required to achieve the Passivhaus standard and ultimately to promote the embrace of the standard by volume housebuilders. The research also makes a significant contribution to the national target to have all newly built homes carbon-neutral, as now mandated by Scottish Government. With the potential to be adopted in future volume housing developments across the UK, this will create wide ranging and long-term benefits for the UK economy, the environment and its occupiers.

Citation

DEVECI, G. and MITCHELL, G. 2020. Demonstrating the 'Passivhaus' standard for the Scottish volume housing market. [Design]

• Other Type: Design
• Deposit Date: Mar 10, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 10, 2021
• Keywords: Domestic architecture; Passivhaus standard; Construction industry standards; Sustainability; Scotland
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1254972