Cwrt Canna - Beattie Passive
Project Details
Project - Cwrt Canna For Newydd Hosuing Association
Sector - Residential
Technology - Components
Company - Beattie Passive
Project Overview
Cwrt Canna is a £3.4million development of 13 ultra-low energy homes in the rural community of Llangan. In partnership with the Vale of Glamorgan Council, these highly sustainable, affordable homes were developed using private and Welsh Government Innovative Housing Programme funding and Social Housing Grant. In total, four 1-bedroom apartments, eight 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom houses, and a 2-bedroom bungalow were built using the Beattie Passive build system.
The scheme ticks all the boxes for a contemporary social housing scheme and then goes further still to attain Passivhaus standards of build quality, thermal comfort and energy efficiency, while also cutting fuel bills and curtailing carbon emissions. As the number of people living in fuel poverty rises and climate concerns intensify, these considerations have become more important than ever before.
As a team, our vision was to rethink how a social housing scheme should be approached, how it should be constructed, how it should look, how it could be designed to lessen the environmental impact, and how it should benefit occupants in terms of health, wellbeing and total cost. Social value in construction was a hugely important aspect of the project and is covered in more detail in our submission. The homes and their environs are visually attractive as a result of intelligent space planning and exceptional architectural design.
Cwrt Canna was built by contractor Canna Developments using panelised offsite construction. Designed and modelled in the Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP) and constructed around a sustainable timber frame using the Beattie Passive build system, the homes maximise airtightness and minimise thermal bridging to significantly reduce energy consumption and, in turn, minimise carbon emissions. In terms of energy efficiency, the homes at Cwrt Canna are simply remarkable. Everyone is feeling the pinch of price increases at the moment, not just in terms of fuel but as part of a far wider cost-of-living crisis.
Cwrt Canna is tackling this issue head-on by insulating tenants against spiralling energy costs. What’s more, the quality of the accommodation is second to none. Passivhaus significantly raises living standards, banishes damp and mould, and provides healthy ventilation, via MVHR, that is free from airborne pollutants and allergens. Occupants enjoy warm surfaces and comfortable temperatures throughout the year with no cold spots, draughts or condensation. “Moving into this home has made such a difference with the prices of energy as they are. Having an eco-home which is light, airy and with high ceilings is so beneficial. It’s been remarkable the improvement in our mood and wellbeing" Alex, Newydd Housing Association Tenant.
