Penny Germaine-Chatwin
Marketing & Communications Manager
Published Nov 5, 2021
Tucked away in what was once a disused space that housed a row of forgotten garages, are three impressive new-build homes. Close to the heart of Crouch End, the innovative Relendex funded Pinehurst Mews development focuses on quality, sustainability and well-being.
Last week, Simon Atherton (our UK Sales Director) and I went to see the recently completed Pinehurst Mews development. Chris Aasa from PointSix walked us through the three homes and to say we were blown away would be an understatement.
We saw at first hand just how sustainable living can be delivered by Passive Houses “Passivhaus” and how their benefits extend far beyond just energy efficiency and saving money on utility bills by providing a more comfortable living environment.
Relendex is placing an emphasis on sustainable building. We want to encourage and support UK housebuilders to build greener. Built using Passive House standards, each home in the Pinehurst Mews development is on average 3 times more efficient than traditionally built UK homes. Passive Houses are the gold standard of modern construction. Despite the difficulties faced due to the impact of Covid during the project, PointSix were able to deliver the project on time and within budget by utilising offsite construction methods.
The Passive House concept was developed in response to concerns that the energy efficiency of many buildings was not performing as predicted. In Passive Houses, emphasis is placed on the quality of the design and construction. It is a 'fabric first' approach where the focus is on reducing the actual need for energy within a home, through high levels of insulation and an airtight building envelope, as opposed to simply substituting a traditional energy source for a renewable source, without addressing the energy demand. The Pinehurst Mews scheme, designed by Palmer Lunn Architects, has spacious interiors and private gardens designed to a high environmental standard based on Passivhaus 'fabric first' principles. The three homes were built using Naked House's extensive knowledge and experience in pre-fabricated offsite construction and Passivhaus technology. This provides homebuyers with the confidence that their new homes will live up to their promises of energy efficiency, comfort, health, and durability.
Here are 5 of the reasons that I have fallen in love with the Passive House.
1. Lower running costs
With energy bills set to rise £139 for 15 million people in the UK this year alone, and with a probable further £400 increase next April energy costs are becoming a major burden on household budgets. In a traditional home, most of that expensive heat is wasted, escaping through gaps and cracks in the fabric of the building.
From the street, you would not be able to differentiate the Pinehurst Mews homes from any other recently built homes. Even from the inside, the only visible clues are thick walls, heavy doors, and small ventilation units. It is only when you take a look at each home’s utility bills that you would know you are living in 3 homes built to Passive standards.
The Passive design of each of the properties in the Pinehurst Mews development eliminates the need for traditional heating systems by creating an airtight building envelope. The inclusion of this high-performance thermal envelope paired with the high-efficiency ventilation systems means UK homeowners will only need about 10% of the usual energy to heat their home.
2. A home built for comfort
The concept of comfort is so fundamental to the Passive House concept. Homeowners knowingly or unknowingly are used to living in draughty buildings, they compensate by turning up the heating on cold days and paying for it later.
However, as you walk around any of the Pinehurst Mews homes, you feel the difference. Every room is light and airy thanks to the careful placement of the high-performance windows. There are no cold surfaces and it’s a cosy and comfortable temperature throughout, no matter how hot or cold it is outside. The temperature is consistent, right through every room in the house.
The high-quality windows and superior insulation also help to keep the inside of each home extremely quiet, and the steady ventilation eliminates odours and any pollutants.
3. Certified quality
One of the biggest challenges the construction industry faces is that the finished product rarely performs as well as anticipated. Recent studies have revealed that energy consumption can be 5 to 10 times higher than the original energy calculations made at the design stage This is known as the “performance gap”.
The Passive House standard is often referred to as the ‘as built’ standard and mitigates this gap. Energy modelling is part of the design process: accurate documentation is produced, and strict airtightness targets must be met. This method of housebuilding is backed by rigorous building science and over 30 years of evidence from tens of thousands of buildings around the world, ensuring a durable, well-built home every time.
With every aspect of the Pinehurst Mews development carefully planned and specified in advance, there was theoretically little room for error in the building process, and nothing was left to chance regarding material or construction quality. Offsite fabrication meant that the weatherproof building shell could be completed to a high standard under factory QC conditions whilst using sophisticated software that minimised wastage.
Many of the interior and exterior finish materials used throughout the three homes, such as the high-performance windows and doors, are virtually maintenance-free, and the elimination of a boiler or other conventional HVAC systems means that there are fewer moving parts to repair or maintain.
4. Improved air quality
One of the most important elements of the Passive House concept is the controlled mechanical ventilation system which continuously replaces stale, humid or otherwise polluted indoor air with fresh, outdoor air.
As we walked around each of the Pinehurst Mews developments, our attention was drawn to the discreet high-efficiency ventilation systems placed in each room’s ceiling. These extract air from the kitchen, bathrooms, and other high-moisture or odour-producing spaces and pipe fresh air back into the living spaces. This is all done silently thanks to a bespoke noise-cancelling unit hidden away and created exclusively for all three homes.
This outstanding air quality will be a huge relief for potential homeowners who suffer from asthma or from other airborne substances, such as pollen but the ventilation system also provides another great feature, it filters out external pollutants such as smoke or exhaust fumes – an essential addition for any city home!
5. Eco-footprint
Walking through each home had me asking, if given the option why wouldn’t I want my future home to be as energy-efficient as possible? If prices are competitive between a sustainable home and a traditional home, it’s simply a no-brainer.
Passive houses still use electricity for lighting, electronics and appliances, and heating water, but most require no heating source at all apart from the sun and the incidental heat generated by the appliances and occupants.
The addition of solar panels, and ground or air source heat exchangers means that Passive House owners can power their homes with little or no reliance on the national grid. In fact, the most efficient houses can actually make a net contribution to the grid.
If even a small percentage of the new homes and buildings constructed in the UK and elsewhere were built to Passive House standards, the combined energy savings would make a significant difference and help the UK achieve its 2050 Net Carbon Neutrality target.
How Relendex is helping
By actively supporting passionate developers like PointSix, who have the drive to deliver such forward-thinking developments, Relendex is making a positive contribution to bringing affordable, sustainable living to more UK homeowners.
The Pinehurst Mews development is an exceptional example of housebuilding done right and it is just one of many sustainable projects Relendex is currently funding and plans to fund in the future. Look out for the (G) symbol on our platform to signify a development that meets our demanding sustainability targets.
In the meantime, I certainly know the kind of home I'll be looking for in the future is a Passive home.
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