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PROJECT REPORT: EDUCATION & RESEARCH FACILITIES
ADAPTING TO PASSIVHAUS
The decision to go for Passivhaus happened during the project, meaning window sizes had to be reduced, but the newly-created sills were designed as bench seating
would be more of a challenge because they want doors open all the time,” Garriga says. The other key aspect that required work following the decision to target Passivhaus was the form factor (the ratio between the building’s external envelope where heat can escape compared to the usable internal space). The footprint of the building had to be revised to aim for a form factor of 3.04, which was achieved largely by reducing the height and simplifying the footprint to produce a more compact shape. They also had to reduce the size of the windows to mitigate heat loss, bringing the sills up to a height of 800 mm – originally these had been designed to go right down to the floor to maximise on daylight, in particular to make up for the lack of windows on the north elevation which overlooks neighbours. Where possible, these required alterations
for energy efficiency were turned into design features – the bottom of the windows was brought up and the newly-added sills turned into bench seating. “It was about changing things in a positive way,” Garriga explains. “For example, that gave us the
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opportunity to create seating which offers a variety of uses in the classrooms. The design actually lends itself quite well to that, it’s the part of the window that brings in the least amount of light because it’s low and the spaces are still bright.”
The design had always been predicated on having underfloor heating with an air source heat pump, but the decision to target Passivhaus meant an MVHR system had to be included as well. “That took a lot of coordination with the design team,” Garriga admits. All the services were deliberately left exposed in order to not compromise on the volume of the internal spaces. “The whole thing works together because rather than individuals coming in at separate stages we all worked together – including structural engineer, services engineer and interior designer.” Thankfully, although some of the architectural and interior design elements had to be revised, the Passivhaus target was implemented before the technical design had been developed, meaning details such as insulation levels were considered from the start, taking into account heat loss from
ADF JANUARY 2024
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