Net-zero House Design | Tailored Architecture

Net-Zero House Design – Tailored Architecture

What is a Net-zero house?

Let’s discuss your project today.

How a Net-zero House is defined?

” net zero means achieving a balance between the carbon emitted into the atmosphere, and the carbon removed from it. This balance – or net zero – will happen when the amount of carbon we add to the atmosphere is no more than the amount removed.” – Energy savings trust

The building blocks of a net-zero home are the balancing of emissions and the generation of low-carbon electricity and heating.

We use energy conservation and Passive House measures to reduce the energy consumption of any proposal. We form a net-zero balance between energy consumption and onsite electrical and heat generation.

Passive House is a fundamental design and construction approach that utilises principles of building physics to ensure superior energy efficiency and occupancy thermal comfort. All buildings generate carbon emissions during their whole live cycle. Thus a Passive House is meticulously designed through energy modeling around five key principles.

As a Certified Passive House Designer in Cambridgeshire Rob Bracey and Tailored Architecture are committed to climate-conscious architectural design. Adopting Passive House principles and low-carbon energy generation technologies enables us to deliver low-energy contemporary housing fit for a environmental future.

All of our projects aim to comply with stringent energy targets and strategies in both operational and embodied carbon to achieve an environmentally lightest-touch building. We have developed strategies to follow the guidance below to achieve your project’s aims and sustainability goals.

RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge.

LETI climate design guidance

Passivhaus design principles

Sustainability is the bedrock of our design, construction, and development process. Using low-energy and passive design principles we develop energy efficient houses which are environmentally responsible.

Our Passive House and Net-zero design approach.

As a practice, Tailored Architecture is committed to sustainable design we adopted the six design principles of energy conservation. These incorporate the Passive House principles. Every project we undertake abide by these principles to provide you with the most energy-efficient and light-touch environmental building possible.

Building form

Building form is always derived directly from the site context, with considerations taken to minimise the overall surface area of the thermal envelope. A dense and efficient form and massing reduces the heat loss minimising the required heat demand and emissions.

Solar access

Solar gains are considered to maximise the winter warmth available reducing overall heat demand. Careful design of window openings and potential solar shading in the form of sliding screens and horizontal canopies will be deployed to reduce risks of overheating in summer. Natural ventilation will be use for summer time cooling avoiding the use of mechanical comfort cooling.

Fabric first

All buildings are designed with enhanced building fabric to lower the required heating demand, also coupled with airtightness to further reduce heat losses. This allows for a smaller heating plant to be installed reducing overall emissions.

Embodied carbon

Materials and construction methods where possible will be chosen to limit their embodied carbon emissions.

Low carbon heating systems and renewable technologies

Enhanced building fabric and careful inclusion of controlled solar access allows for the installation and operation of an low-carbon heating systems for example heat-pumps. This will reduce the overall heating impact of the proposed dwelling. Battery storage is to be considered to provide electrical storage reducing the impact of peak energy use.

Deconstruction and re-use

Consideration of the materials and construction methods used to allow for deconstruction and reuse in their current form. Reducing the disposal element of construction and energy intensive recycling processes.