Built on a small plot in the centre of Dursley, this certified Passivhaus was designed to have minimal impact on the surrounding trees and to preserve the natural habitat of the site.
Featured on Grand Designs in September 2016, the Treehouse garnered much interest for its beautiful cantilevered structure, its low environmental impact and for the romanticism of living in a ‘treehouse’.
This complex building does not follow standard building practices and has metal piles (avoiding tree roots) instead of concrete foundations. This meant that our engineers had to think innovatively to solve the unusual implications produced by this design.
The clients were keen to achieve Passivhaus standard. We worked closely with them providing guidance on energy efficiency and fabric design and were able to deliver a Passivhaus certified building.
We worked meticulously to maximize the efficiency of this unusual design. We wrote the initial Thermal Analysis report, and our engineers advised on thermal bridging and insulation detailing. We provided the MVHR design and under took air tightness testing. We produce ongoing Passivhaus design calculations.
This challenging build was completed to a very tight budget but, to quote Kevin McCloud, it is, “flipping brilliant”.
Architect: M+H Workshop