The Passivhaus Institute has awarded the Designo wooden loft ladder certification for use in passive buildings.

Seaton Beach Apartments in Devon is the first UK multi-residential development to be certified as ‘Passive House Plus’. Some claim that the Passive House standard is easier to achieve with simpler, box-like forms, resulting in finished buildings being aesthetically limited – but this is certainly not the case here. A little design ingenuity and the use of Schöck Isokorb thermal breaks has enabled generous sea-facing balconies with sweeping curves to create a striking finish.

Over 30,000 buildings worldwide are accredited to the Passivhaus standard, with that figure continuing to rise as the global pressure to create energy-efficient buildings increases. Here Nicolas Tye, Director at Nicolas Tye Architects, shares his insight into the approach architects can take when designing and building Passivhaus-accredited buildings for both the residential and commercial sectors, particularly with regard to the importance of rooflights.

Sustainable building products and Passivhaus project supplier, Ecological Building Systems, will bring together experts from across Europe on Thursday 11th May 2017 to hold the UK’s first ever masterclass in Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) design and construction.