PMV is calculated as the percentage of cost that is derived before any site works and strongly encourages maximising the proportion of off-site works.. As a result, many parts of the construction industry are focusing more and more on off-site prefabrication in pursuit of benefits including lower cost, reduced delivery timescales, higher quality, improved health and safety, less waste and more productive site labour..
Quality control on site is extremely important, strategies for airtightness require careful sequencing and interim testing and workmanship skills need to be of the highest quality..Skill shortage and understanding.
There is a lack of large-scale builders who can deliver Passivhaus buildings.These projects can be seen as bespoke and are more expensive.. Bryden Wood’ response to Passivhaus’ challenges.Bryden Wood is an industry leader in the adoption of Platforms-based Design for Manufacture and Assembly (P-DfMA) and has always shown a keen interest in the adoption of the newest and more advanced sustainability certification schemes, such as Passivhaus.. Our experience indicates that the standardisation process of P-DfMA, can be a suitable approach to counterbalance Passivhaus’ challenges described above, as follows:.
Reduced design cost and complexity:.The standardisation process reduces the number of construction elements which in turn dramatically reduces the number of elements and potential thermal bridges, making the design simpler and more cost-effective.
The repeated use of the same details significantly reduces the design cost and complexity, and facilitates the achievement of Passivhaus’ thermally bridge free design ethos..
Being able to deliver Passivhaus detailing onsite requires complex coordination, overlap of materials and components and accuracy in order to achieve the specified final performance and certification.The value of the item is retained with the potential to reuse it again in the future.
This enables circular principles to continue in the future.. Design for optimisation.Sustainable construction increases the lifespan of buildings through flexible and adaptable design.
When designing new or refurbished buildings we must plan for the unexpected.Buildings need to be able to adapt for future uses and by designing this in from the start we will use fewer materials in the future..