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Rising Star: Heather McNeill

Words:
Pamela Buxton

Sustainable design advocate delivering Passivhaus, Passivhaus plus, and Enerphit plus projects

Rising Star Heather McNeill.
Rising Star Heather McNeill. Credit: Olli Johnson

Director, A D Practice and Passivhaus designer. Part 1: 2015, Part 2: 2018

Heather McNeill’s passion for sustainable design was sparked by her Part 1 final project. She hasn’t looked back since, taking a Part 2 at the Centre for Alternative Technology and qualifying as a Passivhaus designer soon afterwards. 

Since then she has helped steer St Albans practice A D Practice in a new sustainable direction, securing its first Passivhaus project, which formed the case study for her Part 3 and was runner up in the Passivhaus Trust Awards.

A string of Passivhaus, Passivhaus Plus and EnerPhit Plus projects have followed. McNeill, who is currently on-site with her own EnerPhit house, agrees that she is on something of a mission to spread the word. As well as partnering with self-builders on Passivhaus homes, she is working with trusted local builders to help encourage the ‘shift in mindset’ that is required to build to this standard.

It is possible, she says, to build houses that are both energy efficient and architecturally striking. ‘It definitely can be done,’ she maintains. ‘The more Passivhaus gets taken up, the more people will push the boundaries.’

She enjoys the ‘really collaborative’ nature of Passivhaus projects, and would love to tackle larger-scale commissions, such as co-housing and social housing in the future. Meanwhile carrying out her own EnerPhit project has been an ‘eye-opener’. ‘I definitely have a better understanding of where clients are coming from!’ she says.

  • New-build Passivhaus home in Harpenden.
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    New-build Passivhaus home in Harpenden. Credit: Matthew Smith
  • This Bedfordshire renovation became the first UK certified Passivhaus Plus retrofit.
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    This Bedfordshire renovation became the first UK certified Passivhaus Plus retrofit.
  • Harpenden self-build Passivhaus dwelling visualisation (currently on site) by A D Practice.
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    Harpenden self-build Passivhaus dwelling visualisation (currently on site) by A D Practice.
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What piece of architecture or placemaking do you most admire and why?

The Stirling-prize winning Goldsmith Street development in Norwich by Mikhail Riches speaks to me on a number of levels. Firstly, all 93 homes are Passivhaus-certified so they are highly energy efficient. However this goes hand in hand with healthy living environments and low energy bills, particularly when it comes to heating, essentially solving fuel poverty. This is something often overlooked in social housing, which this entire development is. Also unusually for social housing, the houses are architecturally interesting and a lot of thought has gone into the pedestrianised zones between blocks.

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