‘The Sheds’ Passes Airtightness Test

Airtightness Testing being Filmed by Grand Designs

The Sheds‘, a Passivhaus residential project in the Cotswolds, took another important step forward recently when it passed its airtightness test, achieving 0.37 air exchanges per hour. This easily satisfies the Passivhaus requirement of 0.6 air exchanges per hour or lower. The Sheds, for which Subadra are both Project Manager and Passivhaus Designer remains on track to be the UK’s first residential Passivhaus Premium building.

The test was carried out by As Built Testing, and was filmed (as is the whole build) by Channel Four for their Grand Designs series. Keep your eyes open for it appearing on your TV screens later this year.

When Being Passive Just Isn’t Enough

The last decade has seen the Passivhaus standard become established as the gold standard for ‘eco’ housing in the UK. The original Passivhaus standard has recently been upgraded, with two new, more demanding levels added. The most stringent of these – Passivhaus Premium – has yet to be achieved in the UK.

So we are particularly excited to have been appointed as Project Manager, overseeing the design and construction of The Sheds which aims to be the UK’s first Passivhaus Premium house. Our in-house Certified Passivhaus Designer is currently leading the design effort, including PHPP midelling, and will then be overseeing the construction on site, ensuring that the rigorous building standards are met. We’ll be posting regular updates here as the project progresses.