Larch Corner - The UK's Most Airtight Passivhaus

Meet Mick, a man with a vision to build a truly bespoke and delightful home in the heart of the English countryside. Mick's love for both timber products and sustainable living is clearly evident in every element of the design and build of this stunningly light, spacious, airy and sublimley comfortable living space. Comfort is a key signature of any building designed to Passivhaus standards, but Larch Corner has comfort built in at a deeper level. Bespoke window seats invite you to relax and take in the view, the timber visible all around speaks to the human part of us that yearns to connect with nature, light floods in from every angle and brings peace to the soul.

Siberian Larch Cladding, CLT Structural walls, CLT Acoustic ceilings throughout lend to an airy feeling full of light throughout. All Timber was sustainably sourced and either PEFC and FSC certified. With a zero waste approach that is not only good for the environment but also extremely practical, bespoke furniture pieces were created from CLT off cuts. The dining room table for example, looks as if it were made for the open plan living area because it was. The base is comprised of CLT acoustic panel off cuts bringing symmetry and continuity pleasing to the eye. In the garden, Mick used off cuts to design his very own wooden Stonehenge!

As for the techy bits, in terms of sustainable living, energy efficiency and reduced Carbon footprint. The flat roof has solar panels which fuel Mick's electric vehicle, did someone say free fuel?! The roof also sports a gorgeous sedum green roof as part of climate proof construction. Larch Corner is Passivhaus certified and with the 9.3kWp photovoltaic array achieves Zero Carbon status. The airtightness test for Passivhaus certification was performed by Paul Jennings, leading expert on airtightness testing in the UK with astounding results. Larch Corner is the most airtight residential property in the UK with a test result of 0.041 m3/hr/m2@50Pa.

How can you put an achievement like this in perspective? Let's try. Larch Corner is 244x more airtight than required by UK Building Regulations. No room for cowboy builders here! Here is an approximate visual:

A standard UK new build has an estimated leakage area (ELA) equivalent to permanently missing 1 whole window pane
The Passivhaus standard requires the ELA to be approximately no more than the size of a standard letter box opening
Larch Corner's ELA is the size of a penny for the entire house

This is an outstanding achievement only possible through the use of exceptional materials and a consistently focused and detailed approach to every single aspect of the build. Recognition of this is that Larch Corner was highly commended in the Structural Timber Association Awards 2019, short listed in the Build It Awards 2019, Wood Awards 2019, Building Innovation Awards 2019 and ASPB 2020 Awards.

Having now lived in and thoroughly enjoyed his dream home for over a year now, Mick regards building his home as a great adventure and could not be happier. At Mac Eye Projects, we consider Mick a friend and are beyond proud to have built a home that delivers in every way.

Passivhaus Architect: LEAP
Building Contractor: Mac Eye Projects Ltd
CLT Supplier: Novatop - Solid, Element & Acoustic CLT
Foundation: Jackon - Jackodor Atlas Floor Slab