Award-winning developer brings super green housing scheme to Warwickshire

The developer has been confirmed for an ultra-low energy affordable housing scheme which will break new ground in Warwickshire.

Warwickshire Rural Housing Association is working with Bouygues UK, one of the country’s leading construction companies, on the first ever Passivhaus scheme in the county.

Work is already underway on the development which will see 14 properties, including seven bungalows, being built in partnership with Waterloo Housing Group on land next to the A3400 in Wootton Wawen.

All the properties will be built to the rigorous Passivhaus standard, developed in Germany to create buildings which are as super energy efficient as possible.

The scheme will be the first Passivhaus residential scheme developed by Bouygues UK, although the company, which has offices in Birmingham, has extensive experience in the delivery of Passivhaus schemes in the education sector.

Bouygues UK was awarded a £5 million contract by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in 2014 for the refurbishment of Stebon Primary School. The school became only the second Passivhaus school in London and one of a handful across the UK, and the project led to children learning in some of the greenest classrooms in the country.

The company also scooped an award for Best Non-Domestic Project in the country in the UK Passivhaus Awards for its Passivhaus project at Oakmeadow Primary School in Wolverhampton, where the aim was to create uplifting buildings with radically reduced energy consumption and environmental impact, at an affordable cost.

Fabienne Viala, Chair of Bouygues UK, said: “We actively seek projects where we can add value through innovation and our technical expertise.

“Energy efficiency is an increasingly important factor in developing new homes and, with our previous experience of constructing to the rigorous Passivhaus standard, we are pleased to be applying our skills and knowledge to this project.

“Our collaboration with Warwickshire Rural Housing Association and Waterloo Housing Group on bringing the county’s first ever Passivhaus scheme to life is a significant step forward for the housebuilding industry, highlighting how energy efficient principles can be applied to affordable housing projects.”

Paassivhaus properties are designed to provide a high level of comfort for householders, while using very little energy for heating and cooling.

They are built with meticulous attention to detail and rigorous design and construction standards, according to principles developed by the Passivhaus Institute in Germany.

Experts say the heat losses of Passivhaus buildings are reduced so much by very high levels of insulation, extremely high performance windows with insulated frames and airtight building fabric, that they hardly need any heating at all.

This means that passive heat sources, such as the sun, human occupants and household appliances, can cover a large part of the heating demand, while the remaining heat can be provided without the need for traditional heating methods.

The development in Wootton Wawen will comprise of 12 properties for affordable rent and two for shared ownership. The scheme has been awarded funding from Stratford-on-Avon District Council and the Homes and Communities Agency.