Civic & Cultural
Project Sectors I Project Gallery I Project Map
Not just for houses! There’s a growing number of bespoke non-domestic Passivhaus buildings in the UK. Passivhaus is grounded in building physics, so the Standard’s tools and methodology can apply to any building typology. Here we outline case studies from leisure centres to community halls and everything in between.
Healthcare I Leisure I Libraries & archives I Community Centres I Fire & Police Stations I Schools
Healthcare
Hospitals must have high levels of hygiene and are often energy-guzzling. Learn more about reducing unnecessary heating bills, improving patients wellbeing, and the potential of Passivhaus in healthcare. Frankfurt hospital is the world’s first certified to Passivhaus Standard. Closer to home, Foleshill Health Centre is one of the most energy-efficient in the NHS estate.
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Sports & Leisurex
Adopting Passivhaus for leisure facilities, particularly indoor pools, can save local authorites significant sums over the long-term in energy bills. Further guidance on Passivhaus pools can be found here and in the PHI Guidance: Swimming with a clear conscience. As of 2023, St Sidwell's Point in Exeter is the UK's first certified leisure centre & public swimming pool.
.png "St Sidwell's Point. Image credit: Exeter City Council") |
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.jpg "Lakeland Leisure and Wellbeing Centre, Enniskillen. Image credit: SPACE & PLACE") |
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Libraries & Archives
Learn more about stable environments for precious objects and the people responsible for them. Airtightness is often more important than insulation for an archive building with supply air dehumidification and no heating. More examples & monitoring here.
![Hereford Archive and Record Centre [HARC]](/UserFiles/Image/Projects/HARC/HARC%20Feb2016%20WARM.jpg "Hereford Archive and Record Centre [HARC]") |
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Community Centres
From village halls to training centres, community centres provide crucial spaces to bring people together.
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Other Civic Buildings
The UK is yet to build a Passivhaus certified supermarket, hotel, or cinema, but there are some interesting projects to discover further afield. Below are two fire stations and a police station located in Germany. Visit the Commercial Passivhaus buildings page for more examples of non-domestic Passivhaus in the UK. Find more global inspiration via the advanced search on the International Passivhaus Projects Database.
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Further Information
10 Passivhaus buildings that are not houses - October 2019
Passivhaus for educational buildings
Passivhaus commercial projects
Previous PHT story: UK Passivhaus staycations - 10 April 2021
