Berwick House 2019

House Notes – Berwick House

The house is designed to follow the German Passive Haus principles with the primary focus on a high performance external building envelope. Construction methods incorporate high insulation values, reduced thermal bridging, air-tightness and PVC high performance windows. Building systems use two insulation layers targeting Rt5.0 with all internal walls insulated for acoustic comfort. The external walls and roof include an external vapour permeable weather barrier wrap and internal vapour barrier air-tight wrap to providing a high level of air-tightness, targeting 0.6ACH@50pc. To maintain air quality a mechanical ventilation system supplies fresh air to all living areas and extracts stale air from bathrooms using the exhausted warm air to preheat the incoming cold air in winter (HRV – Heat Recovery Ventilation). The wall and roof building systems include a separate zone for services so thermal and air-tight performance is not compromised. The Passive Haus approach guarantees exception comfort, 90% reduction in energy use, acoustically quiet, condensation free, and an healthy indoor environment, proven over 30 years of German development. This house is currently presented at construction so you can view and the inner workings of the Passive Haus approach.

Please note: Opening hours are 10am – 3pm. Gates will close at 3pm.

Due to this house being an active construction site special conditions of entry apply for insurance purposes:

• You will be required to sign a waiver that you acknowledge the risks of entering a construction site.
• Appropriate flat soled and closed toe footwear must be worn – Heeled or open toed shoes and sandals are not be acceptable.
• Children are not permitted on site, this includes babies being carried or in prams.

Entry can not be granted if any of these conditions are not met.

This house achieved a NatHERS rating of 6.6 stars using NatHERS accredited software (FirstRate5). Find out how the star ratings work on the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) website.