It’s not just the Passivhaus movement that is shaking up the architectural world, we’re living in the middle of a modern Green Revolution—and it’s not just about organic farming or plant-based diets. It’s about how we rethink our cities, from the ground up (and sometimes from the rooftop down). If you’ve ever seen a lush rooftop garden or a wall covered in vibrant greenery, you’ve already seen this revolution in action.   READ MORE

The Green Revolution: Building a Sustainable Future

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding contract that requires all countries to decarbonise by 2050.  The UK has predicted that over 25 million of our current homes will still be in use at this time. Without a Retrofit, these homes will still emit carbon at their current rate putting the UK in default of the Agreement.  Every homeowner and building owner needs to Retrofit their property by 2050 to reduce carbon emissions and energy bills. READ MORE

Retrofit Explained - Part 1 - Why?

France has recently implemented laws for all commercial buildings to have solar panels or green roofs by 2024, and Europe has the NZEB building regulations for many years. UK building standards are falling behind the rest of the world as other countries adopt the Passivhaus Standards as a mandatory building regulation for all new construction. Find out what the rest of the world is up to, and see some of the amazing projects that are happening in Chile, Japan, China and India READ MORE

Passivhaus: The Global Scale

The new Biodiversity Net Gain planning laws are due to come into force in 2024.  Initially for developments of over 10 homes, we will see tree lined streets, ponds on street corners and upgrades to Green Belts, managed for a minimum of 30 years. The approved expansion of Pinewood Studios comes with a new National Park to offset the biodiversity removed from the development.  See how our new planning laws are going to rethink the housing developments of old

Biodiversity Net Gain Explained

Obtaining planning approval for your renovation and extension works can be daunting to many. Finding out whether your proposal needs planning permission and which application you need can be confusing.  Here we explain the system from applications to approvals….

The Planning System Explained

Welcome to our Advice Centre, a comprehensive resource for architectural industry insights covering key topics such as the Planning System, Building Control and common misconceptions surrounding Passivhaus design.  Whether you’re seeking expert guidance or exploring innovative approaches, our centre offers valuable information to support your project.  

Advice Centre

Scientists have been talking about global warming for decades, warning that we were heading towards a climate crisis.  As the term Global Warming became Climate Change and now recently Climate Crisis we have simplified the changes to our planet and explain the differences between Carbon Zero, Net Zero and Carbon Emissions and discussed what we can all do to our individual lives to help repair the planet for our future generations    READ MORE

The Climate Crisis Explained

The buildings we live and work in contribute to over 39% of the country’s carbon emissions. From plugging in a phone to recharge it, taking a hot shower or turning up the heating to keep warm, we are increasingly burning fossil fuels that are sending carbon into the atmosphere where it can’t escape. In this Blog we explain the role our built environment is playing in the Climate Crisis, the effects of our daily lives and what will happen if we continue on the same path READ MORE

Our Built Environment Explained

There are several misconceptions surrounding Passive building, so to put you in the picture officially, here are some common ones: You can’t open windows in a Passivhaus

WRONG! You can absolutely open your windows at any time of day or night, in fact it is encouraged, especially at night to purge any excess heat during the hotter months. READ MORE

Myths Busted: Passivhaus Questions and Common Misconceptions

As energy bills soar to the highest levels ever recorded, we take a more detailed look at how to upgrade our existing buildings.  Retrofit measures are expensive but don’t need to be carried out all at once, they can be done in a phased approach over the next 20 years but knowing what you should be doing and in which order to do it can be a minefield.  We detail the work required, the options available and the correct sequencing it should be done       READ MORE

Retrofit Explained - Part 2 - How?

Retrofitting Traditional and Historical Buildings

After the Industrial Revolution of the 18th Century, the UK saw a housing boom larger than any other country. Cities, towns and suburbs were created to make way for the increased wealth and population growth.  Today, more than 20% of the UK’s homes were built over 100 years ago, many are Listed Buildings or in Conservation Areas, but many have few constraints and homeowners are unaware that they should be using specific materials in renovations