Students rise to retrofit challenge

With a challenging retrofit brief, the winners of the Climate Responsive Retrofit University Design Challenge 2023 (#TDChallenge23) have been announced. A mixed-discipline student team featuring built environment students from across the UK, took the top spot, as the students competed to re-imagine & retrofit an existing building, predominantly with timber products, to meet the EnerPHit (Passivhaus retrofit) or AECB retrofit standard.

Members of the TDChallenge23 winning team 'Hempasise', receiving their award certificates. (L-R) Tabitha Binding, Head of Education, Timber Development UK. Dafyn Richards, Plymouth University. Deepak Sadhwani, Cardiff University. Daniel Green, London Metropolitan University. Beverley Gibbs, CAO NMITE.

The Passivhaus Trust is delighted to support the 2023 university challenge led by Timber Development UK, in partnership with Built Environment - Smater Transformation (BE-ST), New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE), Edinburgh Napier University, & the Association for Environment Conscious Building (AECB) with software from Trimble, the Passive House Institute and AECB PHribbon.

The mixed-discipline student teams came together and worked online for five months to produce their entries. They were given the task of reimagining Widemarsh Cricket Pavilion in Hereford, a timber-framed pavilion. Discover more about the challenge brief here. Fiercely competitive, from the 150+ who first registered, 34 students from 22 universities were selected from across the UK for the competition's finals at NMITE’s Centre for Advanced Timber Technology to face a judging panel comprised of professional, academic and industry experts.

Winners

Team 2: Hemphasise

Winning team

Irene Dumitrascu-Podogrocki, Newcastle University
Daniel Green, London Metropolitan University
Martin Juricek, Heriot-Watt University
Dafyn Llewelyn Richards, Plymouth University
Deepak Sadhwani, Cardiff University
Shweta Salvankar, Cardiff University

Winners TDChallenge23: Construction detailing

The winning team 'Hemphasise' adopted a whole-building approach to meet the EnerPHit (Passivhaus retrofit) standard. Their proposed building fabric provides a medium-weight construction with thermal mass to store heat. Many of the materials are hygroscopic (breathable) and thus able to support the management of moisture.

The design uses prefabricated panels, with a mix of hemplime and wood fibre insulation within a timber frame, primarily constructed offsite. This allows local residents to take part in the assembly of some wall panels.

The team aimed for a better than net-zero carbon footprint by integrating low embodied carbon materials with efficient energy systems such as PV, storage and optimized controls. The design transforms Widemarsh Pavilion into a flexible learning facility and community hub which would offer opportunities for skills development, enhanced social mobility, and community cohesion.

An excellent presentation, a good use of form factor analysis at concept, with consideration of circular construction challenges and opportunities. This would be a buildable scheme with a good balance of existing and extended elements.

Julia Bennett, Judging Panel

Runners-up

Congratulations to all the teams shortlisted. All presentions will be available to watch on YouTube soon.

	2nd place: Team 5 Arjun Prema, Edinburgh Napier University Chantal Barnes, University of Westminster Graduate Jiar Sadiq, Edinburgh Napier University Muneeb Khan, Robert Gordon University Graduate Shifana Kunnathedath, University of the Arts London

	3rd place: Team 1 Numaan Amar, University of Birmingham Joseph Meehan, University of Bristol El-Amin Ahmed, University of Cambridge Tanchho Lawati, UCA Canterbury Siara Wong, University of Nottingham Matthew Lindars, University of Birmingham Tsveta Karagyozova, University of Sheffield

	4th place: Team 9 Craig Robertson, Edinburgh Napier University Tim Danson, University of Brighton Caroline Vosburgh, Edinburgh Napier University Vicky Rogers, Plymouth University Augustin Quarez, University of Bath Alice Davyson, Edinburgh Napier University Prince Lemoha, Robert Gordon University

Congratulations to the budding designers of the future who participate in the climate responsive retrofit challenge. It is great to see students grasp embodied carbon & operational energy concerns, and embrace software such as PHPP & PHribbon that will equip them to apply rigorous analysis to future designs in their careers. It has also been brilliant to see an EnerPHit proposal by an interdisciplinary student team gaining recognition.

Yogini Patel, Head of Campaigns & Comms, Passivhaus Trust

To have any hope of addressing the climate crisis, our future professionals need to know how to build and retrofit using the lowest carbon structural material – timber. The TDChallenge is unique, offering students the opportunity to get beyond their course work and apply their learnings in a pragmatic way by working together as professionals do, and on a real world project.

Tabitha Binding, Head of Education and Engagement, TDUK

Judging panel

Dr Rachel Mitchell, Greenbox Associates
Aled Davis, Cardiff University
Julia Bennett, Green Register
Sarah Jowett, Herefordshire Council
Rosalind Thorpe, CIOB
Matt Hayes, Arbor Architects
Beth Williams, Build Collective
Tim Martel - AECB/ PH Ribbon
Gavin Knowles, University of Bath

2024 Registration

Are you a student or recent graduate? The next University Design Challenge 2024 will be focused on affordable, sustainable housing register via Timber Development UK to indicate your interest.