BE-ST Bits of December

Welcome to December's BE-ST Bits, which has seen a significant announcement on the newly proposed timeline for the Scottish Passivhaus equivalent standard.

The National Retrofit Centre project team joined us for practical Passivhaus training and we have some more good news stories from across the sector.

The year might be coming to an end but the mission doesn't stop - let's keep the energy, collaborations and innovations going in the new year. Revisit the BE-ST of 2024 here.

1. Scottish Passivhaus equivalent policy mandatory in early 2028

Stephen Good, CEO of BE-ST and Co-Chair of the Building Standards Passivhaus Equivalent Working Group, responds to the Scottish Government's update on the review to introduce a Scottish equivalent to the Passivhaus standard.

"Having had the privilege of co-chairing the Passivhaus Equivalent Working Group over the past 18 months, I’ve seen first-hand the exceptional collaboration that has taken place by all working group members to explore options, address challenges, and pragmatically work towards a viable strategy for implementing new Passivhaus Equivalent Standards in Scotland. These standards will help us deliver the very best buildings we can, that are affordable, comfortable, sustainable, healthy, and help contribute positively to our net zero obligations."

Read the full response here.

2.?National Retrofit Centre whole building approach

Clark Contracts , the main contractor retrofitting Scotland's National Retrofit Centre, joined us for a day of dedicated Passivhaus Practical training inside the building with their team and the project design team.

We also did a deep dive with the project manager of the retrofit, Gavin Johnston, on how the project is undertaking a comprehensive whole building retrofit approach to reduce the demand and cut energy consumption.

Find out more.

3.?Coldwells Build launches prefab Passivhaus homes

As Scotland prepares to introduce a new era of energy-efficient building legislation, Coldwells Build has introduced its first collection of prefabricated, Passivhaus-certified homes.

Read more here.

4.?Drones, building visualisation and data collection?in ALCHEMAI

BE-ST has been sitting down with ALCHEMAI project partners to learn more about their roles in the project. Holosphere shares their methodology for creating 3D models of buildings in a single day’s work, while Atamate Building Intelligence shows us how they are leading in data collection.

Follow the journey.

5. Edinburgh school awarded ‘first-of-its-kind’ Passivhaus certification

A Passivhaus-designed extension to an Edinburgh school has been officially recognised as a first-of-its-kind in the city for its energy-efficient design and materials, including cross-laminated timber (CLT). The extension to Sciennes Primary School has officially achieved Passivhaus certification from the Passivhaus Institute, following rigorous quality checks of the ￡3.2 million two-storey extension to the Grade B listed building.

Read more here.

Thanks for reading the BE-ST Bits.

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