On 4th July, Beattie Passive Build System Limited became the first company in the UK to be presented with Passivhaus Institut certification for a complete build system. Dr. Wolfgang Feist, originator of the Passivhaus concept and founder of the Passivhaus Institut in Darmstadt, Germany, presented Ron Beattie, Managing and Technical Director of Beattie Passive, with the company’s certification for its continually insulated build system at the annual UK Passivhaus awards ceremony hosted by the Passivhaus Trust.
On 4th July, Beattie Passive Build System Limited became the first company in the UK to be presented with Passivhaus Institut certification for a complete build system. Dr. Wolfgang Feist, originator of the Passivhaus concept and founder of the Passivhaus Institut in Darmstadt, Germany, presented Ron Beattie, Managing and Technical Director of Beattie Passive, with the company’s certification for its continually insulated build system at the annual UK Passivhaus awards ceremony hosted by the Passivhaus Trust.
Dr. Feist commented to Mr. Beattie “You are the first!” Mr Beattie was keen to underline the universality of the Beattie Passive System. “We are extremely proud to have evolved our system from what has always been regarded as a specialist and costly methodology, in a form that can also be replicated on a volume-build scale to provide much-needed affordable and social housing, a challenge no one had previously tackled effectively”.
Using the principles of continuous insulation, the Beattie Passive system delivers a continuously insulated structural thermal envelope which eradicates cold bridging and convection looping. This simple principle can be readily adopted using universally available sustainable materials, built by semi-skilled labour and at less than the cost of a traditional build. Every building is inspected and tested throughout the build process, and any heat loss issues can be easily isolated and addressed immediately. At structural completion, every structural component is open to inspection by both a warranty inspector and building control, eradicating post-completion construction faults. The repetitive, methodical nature of the build process means that every single building achieves an air-tightness of below 0.6m³/hm². At structural thermal completion, Beattie Passive carry out stringent air-tightness, thermal imaging and sound migration tests on every property to ensure it has achieved its design criteria.
Using the Beattie Passive system, both external appearance and internal layout enjoy complete flexibility – any design, any shape, any appearance is possible – and the system can be applied as successfully to a housing association project as to a single bespoke home, an apartment block or a care home.
Ron Beattie, speaking of his passion to work towards eradicating fuel poverty, commented “Our buildings assure a comfortable indoor climate in summer and require only nominal heating through the winter months, so not only is the living environment always pleasant but we dramatically reduce the need both for fossil fuels to heat homes and the resulting fuel emissions”.
A Beattie Passive development in Fife additionally expects to reach the Scottish government’s new Gold Standard, the first time a ‘live’ housing development will achieve this in Scotland. Keith Brown, Scottish Housing Minister, commented during a recent site visit “These new homes will help the Scottish Government to meet its commitment to reduce fuel poverty and address climate change and are greatly welcomed”. Beattie Passive were also invited to the Scottish Parliament in April 2012 to be the first in the UK to be presented with official PHPP certification by the Scottish Passive House Centre.
Photograph by Andrew Perrin.
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