passivhaus Potton opens UK’s first permanent Passivhaus show home S
elf-build specialist Potton opened the doors to the UK’s first permanent self- build Passivhaus show home on
17 September. The much-anticipated Passivhaus, which
is the company’s sixth and most contemporary show home to date, is situated at Potton’s dedicated show centre in St Neots, Cambridgeshire. It has been created to not only inspire
prospective self-builders to consider the bene- fits of building a Passivhaus but also to give them a ‘real feel’ of what can be achieved, in terms of design options and functionality with a low energy home of this kind. Commenting on Potton’s new show home, the firm’s self-build director, Paul Newman
said: “We already have over 6,000 visitors to our show centre each year but we are convinced that our Passivhaus show home will quickly become a must-see landmark on every self-builder’s route map, so are preparing for that number to increase.
“With one of the most innovative show
homes in the UK, situated at our dedicated self-build show centre, we can really show- case our expertise within the low energy sector and our commitment to educating aspirational self-builders to the benefits of building their own Passivhaus home.” The innovative two storey, three bedroom,
three bathroom show home was designed by HTA Design LLP and features a cool and sophisticated interior design with some fun touches. The new home has been designed to meet
the demanding requirements of the Passivhaus standard, with a highly insulated air-tight building envelope, creating a comfortable draught-free internal environment.
RIBA shows support for custom and self-build
and custom-build in its latest policy document: Housing Matters: 20 Ways to Tackle the Housing crisis. In a bid to help improve the
T
housing market, RIBA has listed 20 key recommendations, which call for improvements such as: better use of public resources and public sector
he Royal Institute of British Architects
(RIBA) has shown support for self
land; more locally-made deci- sions; a greater focus on good design and the creation of sus- tainable and resilient homes. The document recommends
that the Government should look for new approaches to grow the market and that local authorities should have a big- ger role in facilitating innovative development models. It goes on to outline why self-build and custom-build are integral to this
and that local authorities need to have sufficient resources in place to implement the duties placed upon them by the Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding Act. RIBA President Jane Duncan
commented: “The actions we’ve set out are achievable and real- istic steps the Government can take now to tackle the housing crisis. Everyone has the right to live in a well-designed, sustain-
able, affordable home – we must work together to realise new solutions to make this a real- ity for the majority, not just the wealthy few. High quality design that offers better value for money in the long term is key.” Duncan concluded: “Without
better spending, the homes we build now will not be built to last and are simply storing up further challenges for the future.”
interiors
Trend forecast. Put together by a “global team of experts,”
‘Denim Drift’ revealed as the Colour of 2017 D
ulux Trade has claimed that the Colour of the Year for 2017 will be ‘Denim Drift’ following the launch of its Colour
assembled by the paint brand, the forecast is based on “emerging trends that shape the way people live and work.” These range from interior design and architecture to fashion and beauty, and social and economic influences. Dulux Trade said ‘Denim Drift,’ a “beautiful,
timeless and versatile grey-blue,” will be the “must-have colour in the worlds of interior design, architecture and for the year ahead, which perfectly captures the mood of the moment and is a true embodiment of the way we’ll live our lives in 2017.“ Dulux has devel- oped a palette of coordinating colours to
match, including “a spectrum of blues and blue-hued tones.” Louise Tod from the Dulux Global Aesthetics
Centre commented: “Blue is known to be the world’s favourite colour, cutting across geo- graphic and cultural boundaries. Creating a blue colour scheme provides commercial specifiers with flexibility in both a residential and commercial setting with hues that run the gamut of being calming to energising.” The brand also identified an overriding
theme which it will focus on next year which reflected “a new outlook on the simple things that make life worth living. In an increasingly digital world where real and authentic expe- riences are becoming more important than ever before, Dulux Trade is reconsidering the foundations of living.”
selfbuilder & homemaker
www.sbhonline.co.uk
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