Reflecting on a fascinating and insightful UK Passivhaus conference 2023

Associate Director and certified Passivhaus designer Jamie Gregory, participated in both days of the conference, leading site tours and delivering a presentation on the Replacement Woodmill and St Columba’s RC High School project, set to be the largest UK Passivhaus education building being delivered as part of the wider Dunfermline Learning Campus.

Regional Director Stuart Bryson also joined, alongside Senior Architect and certified Passivhaus designer Louise Smith and Associate Man Him Ho, who are all supporting with our ongoing Passivhaus projects.

The site tours on the first day were a great success and hugely popular, with over 30 attendees including the chief executive of the Passivaus Trust, Jon Bootland.

On the second day, Jamie was joined by Fife Council’s Lead Officer (Sustainable Development), Shona Cargill, in delivering a presentation on the project. Over 300 attendees enjoyed the presentation in the impressive McEwan Hall venue at the University of Edinburgh, with over 150 people joining online.

Jamie shared details of the school’s aims and how it will bring students and the community together in one modern and sustainable building. A lively and interesting Q&A followed.

Fife Council mandated that the new building should be designed to achieve Passivhaus Classic Certification, whilst also setting a low embodied carbon value for the project, as per RIBA 2025 targets.

As one of the first construction projects to apply the Scottish Government / Scottish Futures Trust (SFT)‘s new ‘Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard’, this is a SFT Pathfinder project.

Read more about how Passivhaus has been integrated into its design.

It is an exciting time to be discussing Passivhaus as we continue to implement Passivhaus principles into projects up and down the country.

It was a fantastic opportunity to do this in Scotland too, sharing details on our expertise and the work we are doing on sustainable projects that align with the country’s growing commitment to embracing Passivhaus.

We’re currently applying our expertise to our new South and West Fife High School project. The 1,735-place school, targeted to achieve Passivhaus Classic certification, will provide a fresh, new learning environment, replacing the outdated Inverkeithing High School, which will better cater to the needs of students.

Our vision is to create a sustainable and inclusive secondary education environment that not only meets the ever-changing needs of the modern student but also integrates seamlessly with the local community.

Did you know that we’re also experienced in delivering residential Passivhaus projects?

Located in the heart of the Bonnyrigg town centre, 83 High Street is our new, single-tenancy residential development, catering for both over 55’s and people living with learning disabilities has been designed considerately and will enable its residents to lead safe, healthy and independent lives within a community environment.

Read more about how the project is integrating Passivhaus

We are proud to have delivered award-winning Passivhaus projects and have in-house Passivhaus certified designers across all our UK offices. This expertise feeds into the technical design of all our projects – regardless of aspirations for formal certification. Find out more by visiting our sustainability page here, or get in touch here.