This self-built home – located in the Upper Weardale Area of County Durham – was awarded the title of Best Individual New Home at the LABC Building Excellence Awards Grand Final – one of the most recognised events on the building industry’s calendar.  The Grand Final of the LABC Building Excellence Awards took place on Tuesday 11 November 2014 at the Brewery in London and was hosted by writer, architect and television presenter, George Clarke.

A panel of industry experts judged a list of highest quality projects from around the UK to reward the best in technical innovation, sustainability and design.  This development was awarded for meeting the strict criteria set and the judges were impressed with the commitment and drive of the owner, who followed the principles of Passivhaus to design the energy-efficient home which met CSH level 5 and gained a SAP rating of 97.  The high levels of thermal performance and the air-tightness in the fabric enable the MVHR system to heat the house by recycling heat generated inside the building by the occupants, their activities and appliances.

LABC Chief Executive Paul Everall said: “This is a fantastically sustainable home and a real insight into the future for new dwellings. The house has been built with solar thermal panels which provide most of the hot water in the summer and solar PV panels to provide electricity in daylight hours to help with running appliances and lights. Site constraints set by the planning conservation officer makes the overall completion of the site even more impressive.”

Phil Newbold, Director and Passivhaus Consultant at new bold design said, “We are amazed and honoured to win this prestigious award which recognises the challenges and hard work which go into creating a real low-energy home in the UK, especially when you are building in a Conservation Area and an AONB on a very limited budget”.