Abhainn

A development of three Certified Passivhaus homes on the edge of Chatelherault Park.

A rare community of three contemporary, low-energy homes nestled within a larger urban area, Abhainn provides a peaceful retreat from bustling city life.

Designed as a cohesive family of dwellings on a Brownfield site, these homes prioritise the highest standards of sustainability and energy efficiency.

With all gardens facing the open, wooded landscapes of Chaterlerault Country Park, solar gains and natural views are maximised – enhancing the biophilic connection to the surrounding environment.

The central third of each home features a green core – a circulation space with a generous double-height area and large expanses of glazing. With it, the connection between both storeys is enhanced, and the boundary between indoors and outdoors is seamlessly blurred.

The deliberate, carefully selected palette of materials on the exteriors reflect the local context. For a modern, clean feel, we added contemporary features – from clipped eaves, to slate roofing that extends seamlessly onto the walls.

Further complementing the design are areas of naturally weathered timber cladding on the ground floor, while the sedum-topped carports deepen the connection to nature.

Individually certified to the rigorous Passivhaus standard, we designed these homes to use minimal energy and provide maximum comfort all year round.

All three homes meet the Sustainability Gold level in the Technical Standards, incorporating enhanced acoustics, improved daylighting, home office spaces, additional accessibility features, and water-saving measures.

Focused on reducing environmental impact, the homes also demonstrate low embodied carbon – making them a model of sustainable design that harmoniously integrates nature and urban living.

“We honestly couldn’t be more thrilled with the outcome of our Passivhaus project—Paper Igloo Architects have without a doubt brought our vision to life in a way that surpasses all expectations. From the very beginning, Mhairi and Martin demonstrated a remarkable blend of creativity, professionalism, and a genuine dedication to understanding our needs.What stood out most for us was their ability to translate our ideas into innovative, practical, and beautiful solutions, always finding ways to enhance both functionality and design. Their attention to detail and commitment to quality were evident in every aspect of the process, ensuring the final result was nothing short of exceptional.

Collaboration with Paper Igloo was a pleasure from start to finish. Their clear communication, proactive updates, and inclusive approach made us feel very valued and involved at every stage. Our project was not plain sailing by any means, we had a complex building site and therefore a lot of bumps along the way! Paper Igloo handled challenges with ease and always maintained a focus on the bigger picture, delivering an incredibly well run project and keeping us all calm during very stressful periods on site.

The completed work is a testament to their talent, expertise, and dedication, and we couldn’t be happier with the result. We have received so many compliments on the houses and our Passivhaus development has brought so much interest to the local community. We have inspired other people to build more low energy sustainable housing and this is definitely down to all the hard work Paper Igloo did on our own project….thank you! We would wholeheartedly recommend Paper Igloo Architects to anyone looking for a team that is both innovative and client-focused. They have been an absolute joy to work with and we are so so proud of what we’ve achieved together.”

—Denise Bryson, Director, Avongreen Abodes

Passivhaus Certifier
Warm

Engineers
Roy Easton & Company with  Future Space Structures

Embodied Carbon (A-C)
598 KgCO2eq/m2

Sustainable living in a connected community

Sustainability and Passivhaus

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Gammelgård