Gort Scott’s Environmental Action Group attended the 14th UK Passivhaus Conference, held at the University of Oxford. The team were incredibly interested in the progress…
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Gort Scott’s Environmental Action Group attended the 14th UK Passivhaus Conference, held at the University of Oxford. The team were incredibly interested in the progress the University has made on their new Passivhaus Humanities building, which is set to be certified as the largest in the UK. A Passivhaus Masterclass was headlined by a number of key speakers from the project team and set out the comprehensive technical challenges associated with the project delivery. As well as providing a practical insight into how to achieve Passivhaus at scale, the Masterclass outlined the critical role of good design team communication, effective information exchange and rigorous project reporting. It also provided an insightful record of the University’s journey, from a small aspiration to design to Passivhaus standards, to an eventual commitment to achieve certification. The conference provided critical information for Gort Scott as we commence concept design stages for a large Passivhaus Standard University building in 2024.
During the second day of the conference the team heard from several public sector bodies, who are in the process of setting out a clear strategy, to improve Local Planning Policy in the face of the climate emergency. Michael Jones from York City Council introduced their ‘Building Better Places Guide’ which commits to developing all new build housing to certified Passivhaus Standards. He provided invaluable insight into the council’s new high-quality housing developments, currently in construction at Duncombe Square, Burnholme Green and New Ordnance Lane. He was followed by Lewis Knight at Bio-Regional who set out an excellent strategy to help Local Councils improve upon National Planning Policy.
As the conference concluded, we were particularly interested in the more all-encompassing energy strategies that were presented by Paul Cross, for Oxford University Estates and Barbara Hammond for The Low Carbon Hub. Barbara talked at length on the importance of preparing at all scales for a decarbonised electrical grid. She outlined that electrical services in new builds could require 4 times as much space than current best practice, so designing from the outset to low energy Passivhaus Standards will be critical to maintain spatial efficiency and viability in the future.
The UK Passivhaus Conference provided Gort Scott’s Passivhaus Designers with an excellent opportunity for ongoing training, as well as a much broader insight into Net Zero Carbon strategies emerging across the UK.