I recently read a BBC article (Why cheap power could matter more than clean power in the push for net zero 15 April 2026) in which some call for use of the term cheap energy as opposed to clean energy. The article opened with people turning to solar panels and heat pumps to save money, […]
Why did you start commentating as Eco-architecture? Working in a local authority architecture department I started commenting on articles I found interesting in the architectural press, principally concerned with local government adopting MMC (Modern Methods of Construction) for energy efficient social housing, only to find nobody else had read them. The LABM (Local Authority Building
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The Warm Homes Plan, an extension of the Government’s Warm Home Discount funding and grant schemes, is to be introduced for installation of heat pumps by moving away from gas toward all electric energy. In principle The Warm Homes Plan is welcome for efficiency yet it may remain unaffordable for many. While converting to all
There is more benefit from adopting Passivhaus than simply low or zero energy bills. Failing to implement super energy efficient building, equivalent to the Passivhaus standard, could cost the UK an estimated £20 billion or more in infrastructure investment over the next 20 years, it has been suggested (Passivhaus Trust). If we continue to build
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It is time to talk about offsite and Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). Both terms have become widely used in the last few years, promoted by the government as modular construction, a way of delivering housing projects more efficiently, in a safe controlled environment. On the face of it, these methods appear to delivery exactly
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After the widespread rise and adoption of hybrid working, a trend were employees divide their work time between home and the office, and some businesses mandating a return to ‘traditional’ office-based work and an end to home working initiatives, I thought it pertinent to revisit my post on Workhome Wellbeing of 2021. Office working to
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Ecological Building Systems, drawing from 25 years of experience promoting green building materials, has developed Passive EcoWall, a system which integrates low embodied carbon and natural materials to deliver passive house performance levels. Embodied carbon from the construction and refurbishment of buildings accounts for around 14 per cent of built environment emissions according to the
Despite the UK moving toward a more responsible built environment procurement of the Passivhaus standard still remains a difficult route to energy efficiency. Due to the specialist nature of Passivhaus construction and design, finding contractors with the necessary expertise to undertake project work is not easy. Norwich City Council have been at the forefront of
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Barrett Homes are set to build 728 Passivhaus dwellings across London. Barrett London has announced plans to build super-energy efficient houses and adopt Passivhaus design principles for all future developments in the capital, a shift which has earned praise from the Greater London Authority. In partnership with Transport for London’s property development arm Places for
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An increasing number of local authorities and housing associations are delivering Passivhaus homes in the UK. Of the UK’s 382 councils (comprising 317 councils in England, 22 unitary authorities in Wales, 32 in Scotland and 11 in Northern Ireland), 119 of them have delivered Passivhaus dwellings, as have a large number of housing associations. The
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