Multi award-winning Passivhaus retrofit of a derelict barn into an eco exemplar education centre for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
- WINNER – UK Passivhaus Awards 2015: ‘Retrofit Project’ category
- Certified to the exacting EnerPHit (Passivhaus retrofit) standard
- Offers a template for historic and older buildings where it is important to conserve the outer appearance of the building.
- ‘Box within a box’ design: super-insulated timber frame structure built inside the existing stone barn building ensures good airtightness and continuity of insulation.
- Inner timber frame structure offers structural support to the original outer building through the use of specially adapted low thermal conductivity ‘wall connectors’.
- Refurbished by Green Building Store’s construction division Green Building Company
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Cre8 Barn project at Stirley Community Farm near Huddersfield has involved the pioneering low energy retrofit of a derelict cow byre into an eco exemplar educational centre and space. The award-winning project has been certified as meeting the exacting EnerPHit standard (a variation of the low energy Passivhaus standard, specifically designed for retrofits).
A super-insulated timber frame structure was built inside the existing stone barn building, preserving the outward appearance of the barn, whilst equipping it for 21st century levels of energy efficiency. The timber frame structure has the additional advantage of supporting and shoring up the original stone building.
The building work has been undertaken as a Design & Build project by Green Building Store’s construction division Green Building Company, builders of the award-winning Denby Dale Passivhaus.
On site team
Green Building Company’s construction team included:
- Jude Wilson, Site Manager
- Steven Gruschka
- Danny Reid
- Andy Nuttall
- Lee Donnachy
Client team
Yorkshire Wildflife Trust, Clients
Veolia Environmental Trust, Funding Partners
Design & technical team
The Cre8 Barn was a Design & build project led by Green Building
Store working in partnership with a fantastic team:
- Bill Butcher, Project leader and Director, Green Building Store & Green Building Company
- Chris Herring, Technical Advisor and Director, Green Building Store & Green Building Company
- Paul Smith, Senior Construction technician, Green Building Store. PHPP modelling
- Andrew Farr, MVHR Technical Manager, Green Building Store. MVHR system installation and commissioning.
- Derrie O’Sullivan, Architect
- Sue Heywood, Architect
- Eco-Arc Architects: Pre-planning architectural drawings
- Pete Warm, WARM low energy practice. EnerPHit certification
- Stuart McCormick, Structural Engineer; SGM structural engineers
The project was certified to the EnerPHit standard using the component methodology:
- Annual specific space heating demand: 33 kWh/m2/year
- Annual specific primary energy demand: 136 kWh/m2/year
- Airtightness of building envelope: 0.4 h-1 @n50
U values of individual building component thermal protection
External wall: 0.132 W/m2K
Floor slab: 0.108 W/m2K
Roof: 0.100 W/m2K
Windows: 0.78 W/m2K
Ventilation unit effective efficiency of heat recovery: 86.6%
Datasheets
Factsheet Cre8 Barn Stirley Farm EnerPHit – download pdf
Specification guide Cre8 Barn Stirley Farm EnerPHit – download pdf
- Stirley Community Farm EnerPHit – the plans
- Stirley Farm EnerPHit – supporting the external walls
- Stirley Farm EnerPHit: Dealing with moisture
- Stirley Farm EnerPHit: Foundations & groundfloor
- Stirley Farm EnerPHit: Windows & doors
- Stirley Community Farm: 3D model
- Stirley Farm EnerPHit: The roof
- Stirley Farm EnerPHit: Timber frame walls
- Stirley Farm EnerPHit: Door thresholds, airtightness & moisture monitoring
- Stirley Farm EnerPHit: ‘Elemental’ approach to the EnerPHit standard
- Stirley Farm EnerPHit: Heating, ventilation & lighting strategies
- Stirley Farm EnerPHit : Completion!
- International Passive House Conference 2014, Aachen Germany
Video Gallery
The Cre8 Barn, Stirley Farm EnerPHit project has won – and been shortlisted for – a number of awards including:
UK Passivhaus Awards 2015
WINNER: Retrofit Projects
Constructing Excellence Yorkshire & Humber Awards 2014
WINNER: The Legacy Award – Sustainability
Huddersfield Civic Society Awards 2015
WINNER: Best Refurbishment Award
RISE Awards 2015
Research / Innovation / Sustainability / Enterprise: “Celebrating Research and Development”
WINNER: Heritage Award for Restoration/ Retrofit
West Yorkshire LABC BUILDING Excellence Awards 2015
SHORTLISTED FOR: Sustainability Award
Yorkshire Post Environment Awards 2015
SHORTLISTED FOR: Built Environment Award
Testimonials
“I was delighted to see the project – it is great to see a farm building being restored to the highest environmental standards and put to community use. This will be a real model for the region and beyond – and hopefully will encourage many similar projects that can see historic non-residential put back into low-carbon emission use.”
Natalie Bennett, Leader of the Green Party of England & Wales
Andrew Cooper, Kirklees Councillor for Newsome Ward
Register here for a free technical briefing following all stages of the construction of the Stirley Farm EnerPHit. The technical briefing is available as a 30+ page pdf file, which will be emailed to you. There is also a short technical film which gives an overview of the key technical features of the project.
Terms & Conditions
By completing this form and signing up for the Technical briefing you also sign up to subscribe to our quarterly Technical Resources e-newsletter email sent by Green Building Store (c/o Heath House Mill, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD7 4JW, United Kingdom, https://www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk). The data you submit will be used by Green Building Store to send out its Technical briefing and Technical Resources e-newsletter (up to 4 times a year) including updates on low energy and Passivhaus building, products and services. Your data will only be shared with our customer database and e-marketing software providers for the purposes of sending the booklet and e-newsletters. You can Unsubscribe from the e-newsletter at any time by clicking the Unsubscribe button at the bottom of every email we send out.
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During Construction
Accreditations