The UK’s first zero carbon Passivhaus in Ebbw Vale has won a prestigious award from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Wales (RICS).

The Larch House is a one-off building incorporating many design features never before seen in the UK. It has now scooped the sought-after Sustainability Award at RICS Wales Awards 2011. The initiative is a joint partnership between United Welsh housing association, BRE, Blaenau Gwent Council, and the Welsh Assembly Government.

The house was built as a prototype for social housing on the brownfield site of the former steelworks in Ebbw Vale by United Welsh Housing Association. The three-bedroom house meets most of its energy needs through solar panels, air tightness and a heat recovery and ventilation system. The house manages to generate as much energy from the sun in the summer months as it needs for a whole year.

Gareth Davies, Head of Development at United Welsh said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this award. This house is a real statement from the social housing sector in Wales. It uses cutting edge technology, the very latest in building material & techniques and some clever thinking to create a home that’s super efficient, low cost to run and will be a pleasure to live in now and in the future.

“It’s important that we continue to build houses that incorporate sustainable features both in the finished product and in the building process. We are determined to get the balance right between incorporating greener methods of building, offering benefits to tenants through things such as lower energy bills, and providing a service that can be delivered for years to come.” 

Justin Bere, director of Bere Architects, which designed the house, said: “The RICS Sustainability Award is the most respected and professional award of its kind in the construction industry, with truly searching criteria, informed judges and a professional assessment process. We are therefore particularly pleased that our Larch House has been honoured with the RICS Sustainability Award for 2011.

The Larch House used natural and sustainable materials including untreated softwood, wood fibre for insulation, Welsh grown thermally modified larch cladding, ecological paints and low energy LED lighting.

Emma Georgiades, Events Manager for RICS Wales, said: “The Larch House, in many ways, redefines the concept of future Welsh homes. It’s already changing the way people think about design and how people will live in the future. It has had a significant role in educating building professionals and students alike. It is a small building to pick up such a big award but it is certainly a very worthy winner of the RICS Sustainability Award 2011.”

The Larch House team were presented with their award at the RICS Wales Awards 2011 at the Copthorne Hotel in Culverhouse Cross in Cardiff by John Day from Cooke & Arkwright.

Find out more:

What is passivhaus?
Incorporating 'Welshness'
The Larch House
The Lime House
Technical Information
About the team
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