• Passivhaus requires less than 15 kWh/m2/yr for heating or cooling (relating to the living space)
• The heating/cooling load is limited to a maximum of 10 W/m2
• Primary energy use may not exceed 120 kWh/m2/yr.
• Passivhaus must be airtight with air change rates being limited to n50 = 0.6/h.

Passivhaus buildings achieve a 75% reduction in space heating requirements, compared to standard practice for UK new build. The Passivhaus standard therefore gives a robust method to help the industry achieve the 80% carbon reductions that are set as a legislative target for the UK Government. Evidence and feedback to date shows that Passivhaus buildings are performing to standard, which is crucial, given that the discrepancy between design aspiration and as-built performance for many new buildings in the UK can be as much as 50-100%.

The house is designed to be reflective of place. Identifiable as Suffolk and part of the local distinctiveness through the use of form, massing, scale, materials. It is designed to sit comfortably within the village landscape as informed by the context analysis.  Steep gables, a mixture of roof heights and low eaves with simple rectangular forms.