PASSIVHAUS | MAX FORDHAM HOUSE WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY Max Fordhams Passivhaus house features automated insulated shutters, developed to reduce night-time heat losses and to achieve an energy balance between gains and losses on a cold winters night. Liza Young reports M ax Fordhams House will leave a lasting legacy. Not only because it was built to the Passivhaus standard, but also because the scheme features innovative insulated shutters, which Fordham hopes will become an energy efficiency solution for future retrofit and low-cost housing projects. Designed and built in collaboration with Max Fordham LLP (the practice he founded), bere:architects, Price & Myers and Bow Tie Construction, the three-bedroom home, set in a tight, urban infill site in Camden previously Fordhams garden was completed in February 2019 and is undergoing Passivhaus certification. The buildings thermal envelope, its ventilation system and windows are all designed so that the heat loss on an overcast, cold winters day is no more than the heat generated by people living in the house. moisture-tightness layers, eliminating thermal bridges and uncontrolled air exchange. As well as allowing daylight into the home, removing the need for electrical lighting during the day, the windows allow solar radiation to warm the inside air. They feature automated insulated shutters that have been developed to reduce night-time heat losses and to achieve an energy balance between gains and losses on a winters night. Usually, on cold, grey days, more heat is lost through a window at night than gained during the day. We have altered the behaviour of the windows so they are net contributors to the buildings heat balance, even on a freezing, overcast day, says Ali Shaw, senior engineer at Max Fordham. The shutters are integrated into the fabric of the home Envelope The building frame is concrete with insulated timber walls, with incorporated airtightness and n Outside air temperature n Modelled indoor air temperature n Measured indoor air temperature Figure 1: The external air temperature for 25 July 2019; the modelled internal temperature; and the measured internal air temperature 34 September 2019 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Sep19 pp34-36 Max Fordham House.indd 34 PROJECT TEAM Client: Max Fordham Architect: bere:architects Passivhaus consultant: Max Fordham LLP in consultation with Passive House Institute Energy rating assessment: Max Fordham LLP M&E engineer: Max Fordham LLP Structural engineer: Price & Myers Main contractor: Bow Tie Construction 23/08/2019 16:31