Grand Designs Extras House Of The Future

Date Published:

06/11/2008

Southerly orientation and a site clear of trees that might shade the house are factors crucial to the success of passive design, as solar energy provides much of the heat. The couple’s house is aligned so the large windows of the main living areas face exactly south and west to maximise solar gain. Motorised external Venetian blinds prevent overheating on particularly hot days. The north and east elevations have smaller windows serving the bathrooms, hallway and utility room – areas where a view of the surrounding countryside is of less importance.

‘I wanted a house that was very much square, but was bright, light and airy with double-height spaces. We didn’t mind sacrificing floor space to get the double height because it wouldn’t cost us to heat it; that’s the advantage of this kind of design. You couldn’t have that kind of space with conventional heating systems,’ says Elaine.

From the walls and roof to door fittings and bathroom tiles, practically everything needed to build the house was brought to site from Germany in a convoy of six trucks. Each element is made with the high level of precision and quality control traditionally associated with German manufacturing. The timber frame minimises air leakage and incorporates high levels of recycled newspaper, hemp and wood-fibre insulation. The wooden windows are handmade and have triple-glazed, krypton-filled units.

All the main elements were constructed in Germany, so the house was weatherproof just three days after starting to build up from the insulated concrete raft foundation. ‘The build speed was just phenomenal,’ says Tom. Before internal wall finishes were applied, a ‘blower-door’ pressure test was carried out to ensure the house was airtight. Even though the result came within PassivHaus standards, further sealing of gaps was then undertaken.

Under the Building Energy Rating scheme in Ireland, the house has a provisional A2 rating, the second highest. Tom and Elaine are considering whether to go the final step towards an A1 rating by installing photovoltaic panels, a wind turbine or a combined heat and power unit. ‘I believe we’ll see more energy-efficient homes like this being built,’ says Hermann. ‘Higher energy prices and sustainability issues are important factors when people are designing their homes, and the PassivHaus standard is the best way of resolving these concerns.’

Externally, the white render of Elaine and Tom’s house sits comfortably with the local vernacular while providing a crisp, contemporary edge. This is enough to gain admiring glances and, apart from the solar thermal panels on the roof, the timber-clad screen that protects the front door from the northern wind and the size of the windows, there is little to give away the fact that this is a house making a little bit of Irish eco history.

German Eco Homes (00 353 45 864 182; german-eco-homes.ie) PassivHaus Institute (passiv.de) Elaine and Tom’s house is available to view: contact Minigie (07785 366 158; eco-haus.co.uk)