SummerIsland House
Download
as PDF This house is the second Certified Passive House completed by Paul McAlister Architects in Northern Ireland and represents a maturing of the detailing and establishment of the Passive House standard as an ideal family dwelling. This rural site to the west of Portadown is relatively large and allows the building to be nestled into the landscape. The architecture of the house has a contemporary feel whilst also reflecting the traditional rural Irish farmhouse. An interesting feature of the house is the two chimneys which are a prominent element of the design.
SummerIsland House : Project images
Click on image to preview full size
Energy and fuel use
Measured data from renewable generation is not yet available.
Fuel use
| Pre-development | Forecast | Measured | |
| Electricity use | - | - | - |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas use | - | - | - |
| Oil use | - | - | - |
| LPG use | - | - | - |
| Wood use | - | - | - |
| Other Fuel | - | - | - |
| Pre-development | Forecast | Measured | |
| Primary energy requirement | - | - | - |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual CO₂ emissions | - | - | - |
| Annual space heat demand | - | - | 15 kWh/m².yr |
Renewable energy
| Electricity generation | Forecast | Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Renewables Technology | - | - |
| Other Renewables Tech | - | - |
| Electricity consumed by generation | - | - |
| Primary energy requirement offset by renewable generation | - | - |
| Annual CO₂ emissions offset by renewable generation | - | - |
Calculation and targets
| Whole house energy calculation method | PHPP |
|---|---|
| Other whole house calculation method | - |
| Energy target | PassivHaus |
| Other energy targets | - |
| Forecast heating load | - |
Airtightness
| Date | Result | |
| Pre-development air permeability test | - | - |
|---|---|---|
| Final air permeability test | 17 June 2017 | 0.32m³/m².hr @ 50 Pascals |
Project description
| Stage | Occupied |
|---|---|
| Start date | 05 October 2015 |
| Occupation date | 20 July 2017 |
| Location | Portadown County Armagh Northern Ireland |
| Build type | New build |
| Building sector | Private Residential |
| Property type | Detached |
| Construction type | Masonry Cavity |
| Other construction type | |
| Party wall construction | |
| Floor area | 275 m² |
| Floor area calculation method | Treated Floor Area (PHPP) |
| Building certification |  Passivhaus certified building |
Project Team
| Organisation | Paul McAlister Architects Ltd |
|---|---|
| Project lead person | Paul McAlister Architects Ltd |
| Landlord or Client | Private Client |
| Architect | Paul McAlister Architects Ltd |
| Mechanical & electrical consultant | Paul McAlister Architects Ltd |
| Energy consultant | Paul McAlister Architects Ltd |
| Structural engineer | George Dawson Ltd |
| Quantity surveyor | NA |
| Consultant | Earth Cycle Technologies |
| Contractor | Weir Construction Ltd |
Design strategies
| Planned occupancy | Five people, all out to work or school on weekdays. |
|---|---|
| Space heating strategy | Heating from oil boiler with underfloor heating; Heat recovered from ventilation exhaust. |
| Water heating strategy | From main heating system |
| Fuel strategy | Mains electricity. |
| Renewable energy strategy | 4 kWp photovoltaic panel installed . |
| Passive Solar strategy | Window proportions optimised using PHPP. |
| Space cooling strategy | NA |
| Daylighting strategy | NA |
| Ventilation strategy | Comfort ventilation with heat recovery (winter) Openable windows (summer) |
| Airtightness strategy | Airtight membrane over roof structure sealed to outside face of external masonry wall. Masonry wall plastered to provide continuous air barrier with membrane. |
| Strategy for minimising thermal bridges | Thermal bridging analysis undertaken for all primary junctions interfaces Junctions assessed include: Ground floor junction, external corner, party wall, party roof, party floor, eaves, verge, window jamb, head and sill, door jamb, head and threshold. |
| Modelling strategy | Whole house modelling was undertaken in PHPP and dynamic simulation was used to assess the impact of our proposed solar-combi heating system with the results fed back into PHPP |
| Insulation strategy | NA |
| Other relevant retrofit strategies | NA |
| Contextual information | NA |
Building services
| Occupancy | |
|---|---|
| Space heating | A-rated Condensing oil boiler |
| Hot water | From Main system |
| Ventilation | Mechanical Ventilation Heat recovery |
| Controls | Room thermostat, set points for MVHR |
| Cooking | Electric hob (induction preferred) and oven |
| Lighting | 100% LED Fittings |
| Appliances | A+ Rated fridge, freezer and washing machine to each unit |
| Renewable energy generation system | Solar PV Installed |
| Strategy for minimising thermal bridges | Psi values have been calculated for internal and external values. External psi-value have been entered into PHPP. |
Building construction
| Storeys | 2 |
|---|---|
| Volume | 687m³ |
| Thermal fabric area | - |
| Roof description | Warm Roof Construction |
| Roof U-value | 0.11 W/m² K |
| Walls description | Cavity Wall |
| Walls U-value | 0.13 W/m² K |
| Party walls description | NA |
| Party walls U-value | 0.00 W/m² K |
| Floor description | Suspended Pre cast concrete slab, insulation and sand/cement screed |
| Floor U-value | 0.09 W/m² K |
| Glazed doors description | Triple Glazed PVC |
| Glazed doors U-value | 0.71 W/m² K installed |
| Opaque doors description | Composite thermally broken AluClad |
| Opaque doors U-value | 0.73 W/m² K installed |
| Windows description | Triple Glazed PVC |
| Windows U-value | 0.71 W/m² K installed |
| Windows energy transmittance (G-value) | - |
| Windows light transmittance | - |
| Rooflights description | Quadruple Glazed PVC |
| Rooflights light transmittance | - |
| Rooflights U-value | 0.58 W/m² K |