The 2025 UK and Ireland Passivhaus Conference will be held at the ICC Belfast and online on 7-8 October 2025.

Gerard Thacker, Associate Director at Greengauge, shares his thoughts on the beneficial inter-relationship between building services and building physics. As a building services engineer who has undertaken Passivhaus training, Gerard sees more and more how the two disciplines can work well together when problem-solving for both new-build and retrofit projects.

The problem Situated in Cirencester, the Barrel Store was constructed around 1820 as a warehouse to serve the adjacent brewery, which closed in the early 20th century. By the 1970s, the derelict but solidly built Cotswold limestone building narrowly escaped demolition and instead was converted into a theatre. The building sustained this use for several

"I am delighted that Belfast is hosting the joint UK and Ireland Passivhaus Conference, spotlighting the impressive Passivhaus innovation and upscaling taking place in Northern Ireland, and across the UK and Ireland" Andrew Muir, Northern Ireland Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs Join us on 7-8 October in Belfast or online! https://ukphc.org.uk/ Declan Loane Caroline Ashe Brady Andrew Muir Andrew Haley Patrick Anderson Ecological Building Systems Passive House Association Ireland Queen's University Belfast

With Duncombe Square nearing completion, Burnholme well under construction, Ordnance Lane heading towards site and Willow House in the design stage - City of York Council is leading the way with its net-zero carbon housing delivery programme. We will be hosting site tours on the 1st and 2nd of October. Get in touch via [email protected] to attend. An excerpt of our director David Mikhail's talk for Urban Design Group on The Future of Council Housing. Watch the full talk: https://lnkd.in/etCxZFQb

1-11 Portugal Street is officially complete! Students are moving in and making it their new home. Check out the stunning new photos by David Valinsky! See the full gallery on our website and Instagram...

What is the difference between the AECB and Passivhaus certification standards? Read Greengauge's handy guide. The energy standards of the AECB and the Passivhaus Institute have varying levels of requirements but follow similar principles – energy modelling through PHPP, evidence requirements, and following a certification procedure.

Staff Spotlight - Andy Cane What do you do at Greengauge? I’m part of the Building Physics team so my role focuses on finding ways to get buildings to use less energy, emit less CO2 and be healthier and more comfortable spaces to live and work. Our approach at Greengauge centres around the Passivhaus standard, Read Greengauge's Staff Spotlight on Andy Cane from the building physics team.

Certification Achievement! We’re proud to announce that 1–11 Portugal Street has achieved the AECB - Association for Environment Conscious Building CarbonLite Retrofit Standard! This rigorous certification recognises projects that deliver high-performance energy efficiency in existing buildings—using robust design, simple technologies, and a commitment to actual performance. A huge thank you to Greengauge Building Energy Consultants for their expert building physics support throughout the design process, and to PML. for fully embracing the ethos and ensuring the performance targets were met on site. St John's College, Cambridge Photo by Javier V.

Paul Smith Greengauge Director and Certified Passivhaus Certifier shares his reflection on Scotland's pioneering Passivhaus projects and on the forthcoming Scottish Passivhaus equivalent policy.

The problem Renovating a listed building to improve the energy performance, while preserving the culturally valued qualities of the original, can be a delicate exercise – often involving careful design, expert analysis and specialist materials.Renovating a listed building made mostly of in-situ poured concrete at least avoids a lot of the worry about breathability, and

We’re just days away from completing the post-graduate accommodation at 1–11 Portugal Street for St John's College, Cambridge. Despite the weather, a few of us cycled over to see the nearly finished building — and it’s looking fantastic. Huge thanks to Paul Leivers for the tour, and well done to the entire team for delivering another outstanding project! Smith and Wallwork Greengauge Building Energy Consultants Robert Myers PML.

The EnerPHit Component/ Elemental route is an alternative approach that helps get Passivhaus retrofit projects across the certification line! Greengauge Director & Passivhaus Certifier Paul Smith highlights the under-used route to retrofit certification, with examples of when it might be used.

We are delighted to share that a planning application has been submitted for the Iron Line project at Hodbarrow Nature Reserve in Millom. Working alongside Story Contracting Limited and Cumberland Council Architects Plus are proud to be contributing to an environmentally conscious Visitor Centre, forming part of a wider landscaping scheme. Collaborating with an excellent team - Layer.studio, Curtins, EURBAN Limited, Crookes Walker Consulting Limited and Greengauge Building Energy Consultants - this project is designed to meet Passivhaus energy efficiency standards, ensuring a sustainable future for the site and its community. We are excited to be moving this into RIBA Stage 4, progressing the detail and delivery of a scheme that celebrates both heritage and ecology. #Planning #Cumberland #Passivhaus #TownsFunds #Millom #NatureReserve #Cumbria #Architecture #SustainableDesign #NatureReserve #RIBA #EnvironmentalDesign

We were approached recently to undetake a thermal bridge calculation for an as-built EWI detail that 'leaves a little to be desired'. It's not quite as plainly and shockingly awful as some of the details at the infamous Fishwick project, but not far off. The installation simply had not been thought through, or if it had, the answer was a proverbial shrug of the shoulders and a significant risk of rain getting behind the EWI. It involves a bay window, which is really difficult to Externally Insulate to to a good standard. I have direct personal experience of this, having wrestled with it on my own deep retrofit. It's so hard to do well that I gave up and demolished the damned thing and turned it into a regular picture window - the photos are during and after to show what's possible. The install we'd been asked to assess had been flagged as a thermal bridge risk. But from my experience I can say it's probably OK in terms of fRSi - i.e. not a major risk of surface mould because the existing masonry tends to conduct heat into the cold point to keep the temperature up. It might have been a whopper of a chi-value, but I seriously doubt whether a whole-building energy model had been done and if someone would plug our expensive chi-value back in to get it over some EPC threshold. We turned the down the thermal bridge calculation; we don't want to validate bad practise and don't want the risk of a rain ingress issue coming back against our finding of a low risk of mould (which in the absence of rain ingress, it probably would be). Look: I get it. the funding mechanisms and procurement processes mean that its not viable to do this stuff properly* But there's not the appetite for the cost or hassle. I understand a huge amount of resource is going into picking up problematic EWI at the moment, to the detrment of some other important initiatives. But the fact we've been asked to assess this problematic install in this way is a red flag in itself - the reviewer didn't pick up the much more important risks the install posed. It does not give me faith that the oversight is fit for purpose - maybe this is just an N of 1 and you people can tell me that I've got it all wrong? * good/best practise is a movable feast but I would consider it to be to either lose the bay window entirely (notwithstanding the cost, disruption and (percieved?) loss of amenity to the occupant) or take down the window and roof/canopy and rebuild the top half to suit the EWI,

The problem It is easy to imagine falling in love with a beautiful, rambling Tudor manor in the Cotswolds. Less easy perhaps, to imagine living there. Yet one family fell so hard for this stunning, Grade I listed, 20-roomed house that they decided to do exactly that. They bought it, and are making it their

Moisture risk assessments are extremely useful and, in many cases, required when designing and constructing a new building or when retrofitting an existing one. In the former case it is likely that there will be available datasheets or material information for the materials that are proposed to be incorporated into each element of the building.

🔨 Progress Update: Templehall Community Hub 🔨 We’re excited to share the latest developments on the Templehall Community Hub - a key part of our £15 million investment in revitalising the local area. Construction is well underway on the former Argos Centre site, with steel columns now in place and the Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) beginning to take shape. This project is being delivered in partnership with BAM UK & Ireland and our Property Services team. Once complete, the Hub will offer: A modern library Training kitchen Community meeting spaces Computer facilities Local office services A main hall Fitness and leisure areas And the MUGA This new facility will serve as a vibrant, multi-purpose space for residents of Templehall and the wider Kirkcaldy area - supporting learning, wellbeing, and community connection. 👏 Thank you to everyone involved in bringing this ambitious project to life. #FifeCouncil #CommunityDevelopment #PublicSectorInvestment #TemplehallCommunityHub #Collaboration #PlaceMaking #BAMConstructUK