Richardson House
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as PDF This house is the third certified Passive House completed by Paul McAlister Architects and is styled in a traditional barn-like aesthetic typical of the Ulster rural countryside dwelling.The site has been divided by the placement of the house so that the two-storey element forms a boundary to the approach road and creates a south facing private garden making the most of the sunlight and privacy. The primary living space within the house is the kitchen dining and living room area which has a high vaulted ceiling. This space is flooded with light from large windows looking out unto the garden. Also, high level electrically operated roof-lights in the sloping ceiling creates a bright and airy feel to this most used of family spaces.The house is highly sustainable using the ultra-energy-efficient Passive House (Passivhaus classic) standard of construction. It also has a 4kW Photo Voltaic array on the rear of the garage roof producing electricity.
Richardson House : Project images
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Energy and fuel use
Measured data from renewable generation is not yet available.
Fuel use
| Pre-development | Forecast | Measured | |
| Electricity use | - | - | - |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas use | - | - | - |
| Oil use | - | - | - |
| LPG use | - | - | - |
| Wood use | - | - | - |
| Other Fuel | - | - | - |
| Pre-development | Forecast | Measured | |
| Primary energy requirement | - | - | - |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual CO₂ emissions | - | - | - |
| Annual space heat demand | - | - | 15 kWh/m².yr |
Renewable energy
| Electricity generation | Forecast | Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Renewables Technology | - | - |
| Other Renewables Tech | - | - |
| Electricity consumed by generation | - | - |
| Primary energy requirement offset by renewable generation | - | - |
| Annual CO₂ emissions offset by renewable generation | - | - |
Calculation and targets
| Whole house energy calculation method | PHPP |
|---|---|
| Other whole house calculation method | - |
| Energy target | PassivHaus |
| Other energy targets | - |
| Forecast heating load | - |
Airtightness
| Date | Result | |
| Pre-development air permeability test | - | - |
|---|---|---|
| Final air permeability test | 04 December 2018 | 0.38m³/m².hr @ 50 Pascals |
Project description
| Stage | Occupied |
|---|---|
| Start date | 29 May 2017 |
| Occupation date | 05 February 2019 |
| Location | Portadown County Armagh Northern Ireland |
| Build type | New build |
| Building sector | Private Residential |
| Property type | Detached |
| Construction type | Masonry Cavity |
| Other construction type | |
| Party wall construction | |
| Floor area | 203.6 m² |
| Floor area calculation method | Treated Floor Area (PHPP) |
| Building certification |  Passivhaus certified building |
Project Team
| Organisation | Paul McAlister Architects Ltd |
|---|---|
| Project lead person | Paul McAlister Architects Ltd |
| Landlord or Client | Private Client |
| Architect | Paul McAlister Architects Ltd |
| Mechanical & electrical consultant | Paul McAlister Architects Ltd |
| Energy consultant | Paul McAlister Architects Ltd |
| Structural engineer | George Dawson Ltd |
| Quantity surveyor | NA |
| Consultant | Earth Cycle Technologies |
| Contractor | Cairns Builders |
Design strategies
| Planned occupancy | Five people, all out to work or school on weekdays. |
|---|---|
| Space heating strategy | Heating from wood burning stove; Heat recovered from ventilation exhaust. |
| Water heating strategy | Air source heat pump to provide hot water |
| Fuel strategy | Mains electricity. |
| Renewable energy strategy | 4 kWp photovoltaic panel installed . |
| Passive Solar strategy | Window proportions optimised using PHPP. |
| Space cooling strategy | NA |
| Daylighting strategy | NA |
| Ventilation strategy | Comfort ventilation with heat recovery (winter) Openable windows (summer) |
| Airtightness strategy | Airtight membrane over roof structure sealed to outside face of external masonry wall. Masonry wall plastered to provide continuous air barrier with membrane. |
| Strategy for minimising thermal bridges | Thermal bridging analysis undertaken for all primary junctions interfaces Junctions assessed include: Ground floor junction, external corner, party wall, party roof, party floor, eaves, verge, window jamb, head and sill, door jamb, head and threshold. |
| Modelling strategy | Whole house modelling was undertaken in PHPP and dynamic simulation was used to assess the impact of our proposed solar-combi heating system with the results fed back into PHPP. |
| Insulation strategy | NA |
| Other relevant retrofit strategies | NA |
| Contextual information | NA |
Building services
| Occupancy | |
|---|---|
| Space heating | No central heating, 2no. wood burning stoves |
| Hot water | Heat pump centerally located in plant room |
| Ventilation | Mechanical Ventilation Heat recovery |
| Controls | Room thermostat, set points for MVHR |
| Cooking | Electric hob (induction preferred) and oven |
| Lighting | 100% LED Fittings |
| Appliances | A+ Rated fridge, freezer and washing machine to each unit |
| Renewable energy generation system | Solar PV Installed |
| Strategy for minimising thermal bridges | Psi values have been calculated for internal and external values. External psi-value have been entered into PHPP. |
Building construction
| Storeys | 2 |
|---|---|
| Volume | 509m³ |
| Thermal fabric area | - |
| Roof description | Warm Roof Construction |
| Roof U-value | 0.10 W/m² K |
| Walls description | Cavity Walls |
| Walls U-value | 0.12 W/m² K |
| Party walls description | NA |
| Party walls U-value | 0.00 W/m² K |
| Floor description | Suspended Pre cast concrete slab, insulation and sand/cement screed |
| Floor U-value | 0.09 W/m² K |
| Glazed doors description | Triple Glazed PVC |
| Glazed doors U-value | 0.74 W/m² K installed |
| Opaque doors description | NA |
| Opaque doors U-value | - - |
| Windows description | Triple Glazed PVC |
| Windows U-value | 0.74 W/m² K - |
| Windows energy transmittance (G-value) | - |
| Windows light transmittance | - |
| Rooflights description | Quadruple Glazed PVC |
| Rooflights light transmittance | - |
| Rooflights U-value | 0.58 W/m² K |