The 2018 UK Passivhaus Award Winners are...

The 2018 UK Passivhaus Awards Ceremony took place at London Build, on 24 October 2018. It's the first time the awards - now in their sixth edition - have been presented at a major construction trade show, reaching out to a wider audience as Passivhaus gains ground in the UK.

Winners of the 2018 UK Passivhaus Awards L-R: Chris Herring - PHT Chair, Jon Greenfield - Hamson Barron Smith Architects, Khasha Mohammadian - Willmott Dixon, Juraj Mikurcik - Architype, Gareth Selby - Architype

As well as a celebration of all the shortlist, the ceremony was also a learning opportunity for the gathered audience. A 10-minute presentation for each project explained the detailed plans and strategies, the performance of each building once occupied, and lessons learned along the way. As the projects were pitched, PHT members were busy voting online for their category winners. Introduced for the first time this year, the public could vote for their winner across all 9 finalists in the People's Choice.

We are delighted to announce that the winners of the 2018 UK Passivhaus Award are...

Small Projects Winner

Category sponsored by Ecology Building Society

Old Holloway

The Small Projects award, sponsored by Ecology Building Society, went to Old Holloway in Herefordshire, a seductively simple rural self-build utilising an innovative pre-fabricated straw-bale/ timber construction. A particularly tough category with 4 strong finalists.

"I'm absolutely delighted with winning the award. Perhaps the modesty of the design, budget, and the use of sustainable building materials were attributes that struck a chord among the Passivhaus folk who voted for our project. Hopefully it will inspire other budding Passivhaus self-builders to realise their dreams."

Juraj Mikurcik, Self-builder

Large Residential Winner

Category sponsored by Munster Joinery

Carrowbreck Meadow

Carrowbreck Meadow snatched the Large Residential category, sponsored by Munster Joinery, with 56% of the vote! A rural development of 14 mixed-tenure [43% affordable housing] Passivhaus homes referencing the historic barn seen throughout Norfolk.

"We are all absolutely delighted to have won a prestigious UK Passivhaus Trust award. These awards recognise some of the most inspiring high performance buildings in the UK and it is a real honour to be amongst them. By designing and constructing Carrowbreck Meadow to the Passivhaus standard we have been able to deliver comfortable healthy homes which are affordable to run, eliminating fuel poverty, future proofing these homes for the demands of our changing climate."

Sarah Lewis, Associate Director, Hamson Barron Smith

Non Domestic Winner

Category sponsored by Ashden

The Enterprise Centre

The Enterprise Centre at UEA in Norwich was crowned trimphant in the Non-Domestic category, sponsored by Ashden. Utilising local materials, this ambitious multi-award winning project explores low-carbon architecture that achieves Passivhaus, BREEAM Outstanding, and a 100-year performance lifecycle.

People's Choice

The George Davies Centre

Over 500 people voted online for the People's Choice award, selecting their winner out of all 9 finalists. The project with the most votes was the University of Leicester's state-of-the-art medical education and research facility, the George Davies Centre. Breaking several Passivhaus stereotypes & accommodating 2400 occupants with a total floor area exceeding 13,000 m², it is the largest certified Passivhaus building in the UK, and one of the largest in Europe.

"The George Davies Centre has won many awards, but being named the People’s Choice at the 2018 UK Passivhaus Awards, where we were up against some incredible buildings, is very special. Credit for this award extends well beyond Willmott Dixon. The George Davies Centre’s exemplar energy performance is the result of fantastic teamwork, with architects, supply chain – and a truly forward-thinking client – working together towards a common vision."

James Elliment, Senior Operations Manager, Willmott Dixon

Thank you to all finalists

After an onerous submission process, successfully being shortlisted by a panel of judges, and preparing project presentations, we would like to thank all the 2018 finalists for making the awards one of the best yet. This year we had an exceptional selection of schemes and the strongest awards shortlist to date!

Chris Herring, Chair of the Passivhaus Trust, who presented the awards, reminded the audience and speakers that every project represented at the ceremony was a winner representing what is exemplar in UK Passivhaus.