Making a haus a home

A planning application has been submitted for three carbon neutral homes in Aberdeenshire, which have been specified to the rigorous Passivhaus standard.The dwellings are to be built in Cuminestown on redundant farmland, with the application achieving a platinum and gold sustainability label under section 7 of the building standards technical handbook, according to project architects Cooper & MacGregor.Bob MacGregor, principal designer at the practice, told Project Scotland the client is the landowner, who is creating a nature walk on the surrounding land. It was the brief of creating three houses to complement this nature walk that led to the carbon neutral approach. The architect also had the Scottish Government’s aim of significantly reducing household and construction carbon emissions by 2020 in mind.In order to meet the Passivhaus standard, the homes have been designed to incorporate a high level of insulation, insulated door and window frames, triple glazing and minimal opening windows, in a bid to retain heat.The Passivhaus Trust claims that a Passivhaus design can reduce energy bills by 75%, Bob said.Bob said there had been a “growing interest” in Passivhaus in recent years, driven by potential savings, emerging technology and the Government’s drive to lower carbon emissions. This has, in turn, seen manufacturers focus on improving product efficiency.Bob believes in future it will make economic sense to build sustainably due to the availability of technology and the evidence of both long and short-term benefits.