UK Passivhaus Conference 2022

The UK's First Passivhaus Leisure Centre

Passivhaus is a voluntary standard which adopts a whole-building approach with clear, measured targets, focused on high-quality construction, certified through an exacting quality assurance process.

The first day of the conference started with a site visit to St Sidwells’ Point, the UK’s first leisure centre and public pool aiming for Passivhaus, followed by a masterclass about designing Passivhaus leisure centres.

It was promising to see how in the post-COVID-19 era, Exeter residents embrace an active lifestyle and make the most of this high-end facility.

The design team shared with us the 12-year journey of creating a landmark building that includes three swimming pools, a spa, a gym, a spin studio and a café, serving an estimated 500,000 users per year.

Some of the innovations that resulted in this energy efficient facility can be summarised below:

• By utilising rejected heat from rooms like the gym to heat rooms with great heating demands, such as the swimming pool.
• Improved fabric performance reduced the risk of condensation on surfaces allowing the design team to increase the relative humidity in the pool area eliminating the need for air reduction. This resulted in the reduction of:
  • need for dehumidification,
  • the amount of water evaporation,
  • the pool water heating demand.
• The micro-filtration system and a UV sterilisation light provide exceptional water quality and reduces water wastage.
• Seven plant rooms are included in the design, minimising the heat wasted through long pipework.

Using 70% less energy than a conventional centre, it is expected that the premium of the construction cost will be paid back within eight to nine years. It is worth mentioning that the building has been modelled to withstand predicted change in climate up to 2080.

Net Zero Cities

The second day of the Conference started with Exeter City Council and Exeter City Living sharing their Net-Zero Plans for the city.

Exeter City Council was among the first local authorities in the country to build new council houses to Passivhaus standard, leading the way in low energy development. St Sidwells’ Point is the first part of a broad masterplan that will regenerate part of the city. They are currently developing the Exeter Plan that supports the Council strategies, helping to achieve their net zero 2030 ambition, ensuring life and wellbeing are at the heart of all decisions. Local residents, community groups and businesses are given the opportunity to comment on the future pattern of growth in the city.

Exeter City Living, the council’s owned development company, started small by building three Passivhaus residential units and grew in ambition by delivering bigger residential developments, the UK’s first Passivhaus Extra Care Scheme and the UK’s first Passivhaus Leisure Centre. They are planning to deliver 1,000 Passivhaus homes over the next five years.

Exeter City Council have also identified the University of Exeter as an ally in realising their plans for the city. The University of Exeter has an ongoing commitment to reducing carbon emissions and is continuously developing a Low Carbon Commitment Plan. They have decided that the Passivhaus standard will be achieved on all new buildings, while EuroPHit guidelines will be used to apply EnerPHit standards on all refurbished buildings. They have created a Sustainability Design Guide with key sustainability measures that need to be implemented as part of any project. They are also planning to provide purpose-built student accommodation for all their students, developed with people’s health and wellness at the centre of design. It is worth noting that students are now starting to consider sustainability as a benchmark for choosing a University.

Leading the Way

It is very inspiring to see a UK city regarded as one of the leading global sustainable developers, providing advice and inspiration, contributing to the sustainable development of the built environment, while others are following their example:

• Scotland and Wales are supporting local authorities with funding initiatives for sustainable low energy schools.
• Edinburgh City Council are developing a joint public sector ‘EnerPHit Informed Retrofit Plan’, using a bespoke framework and technical analysis to assess their existing building stock and understand the optimal pathway for its built assets.
• Convent Way in Hounslow is set to become a Sustainable Community with more than 900 Passivhaus units in a suburban area of London.
• Kew Gardens Learning Centre is aiming for the Passivhaus Premium standard and to be an exemplar low carbon building, using plant-based construction materials and Pick Everard have the privilege of being part of this unique project!

As energy costs soar, Passivhaus principles indicate a solution: more efficient use of our existing resources is imperative if we are to mitigate both the cost-of-living and the climate crisis. Passivhaus may not deliver buildings at the lowest costs, but it does deliver the best value! As a Certified Passvhaus Designer, I look forward to working with clients that have the vision and leadership to deliver projects we can all be proud of!