Oak Tree Passivhaus, Newcastle upon Tyne

MawsonKerr Architects for Shawm with MawsonKerr Concept Architecture
Contract value: undisclosed 
GIA: 213m²

Oak Tree Passivhaus is an exemplar in low energy residential architecture, set on a steep site along with mine workings, bedrock, ground gas, and trees bestowed with preservation orders. It overcomes all these constraints, with the layout enhancing views across the valley and framing sightings of the nearby protected oak tree. The layout and large format windows create great light quality during the day and capture all the drama of the seasons. The construction is an innovative, twin timber frame, designed, detailed and fabricated by the architect to minimise thermal bridging while also being a fully breathable envelope. Local and low embodied carbon materials were used, such as larch from the Scottish Borders and stone gabions from the site bedrock. The building is Tyneside’s first Certified Passivhaus and England’s most northerly-sited timber frame Passivhaus, combining ‘delight’ with the robust design and delivery that the climate emergency demands.

See the rest of the North East shortlist here. And all the RIBA Regional Awards shortlists here.

---