High-Performance Design Without Compromise
We recently handed over our Tylden project, a home that embodies the perfect balance of high-performance design and architectural beauty. The culmination of three years of collaboration between the client, architect, and contractor, this project marked our first venture into high-performance home design and the results have been remarkable.
What is a High-Performance Home?
A high-performance home follows the principles of Passivhaus design: super-insulated envelopes, airtight construction, high-performance windows, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, and thermal bridge-free construction. While it may not meet the strict criteria for full Passivhaus certification, it delivers exceptional comfort, energy efficiency, and high air quality.
Beyond energy savings, these homes are remarkably quiet, pest-resistant, and maintain consistent temperatures year-round, key priorities for our clients.
Balancing Design & Performance
For this project, expansive glazing (to maximise the stunning views) and the inclusion of a wood fireplace meant full Passivhaus certification wasn’t feasible. However, we worked closely with a Passivhaus engineer to integrate as many high-performance principles as possible without compromising the client’s vision, including rammed earth construction and a design response offering a resort-like sense of calm.
Airtightness: A Standout Achievement
One of the most rigorous Passivhaus benchmarks is airtightness, requiring ≤0.6 air changes per hour (ACH). To put this in perspective:
A typical new home scores ~15 ACH.
Our Tylden project achieved 1 ACH - a remarkable result that reflects meticulous attention to detail
Real-World Performance
The home’s efficiency was put to the test during commissioning. As the client shared:
“Fun little factoid: The house was 18°C inside at 5pm when I turned off the heating overnight. By 4am, it had only dropped to 16.5°C -despite it being 7°C outside. That’s just a 1.5°C loss over 11 hours in an empty house.”
This real-world performance demonstrates the tangible benefits of high-performance design - comfort, consistency of temperature, and energy savings, all without sacrificing the design opportunities of the site and brief.