An innovative, Scottish-first research project is underway at a newly completed social housing development in Easterhouse, Glasgow, which could significantly influence future house-building standards and help reduce tenant energy bills.

Led by Wheatley Group, in partnership with construction firm CCG and MAST Architects, the trial involves six homes out of the 47 recently constructed at Shandwick Street. These six properties will be monitored for a 12-month period to accurately assess their thermal efficiency and in-use energy consumption, specifically to determine if they meet or exceed current Passivhaus building standards. The findings from this research will be shared with the Scottish Government and the wider housing sector to help inform the development of future housing regulatory standards in Scotland.

Lindsay Lauder, Director of Development and Regeneration at Wheatley Group, stated: "As the largest provider of social housing in Scotland, we have an important role to play in exploring new thinking and technology to address the issue of rising fuel bills. Each of the six properties in the research has received unique enhancements, including upgraded fabrics for insulation, enhanced levels of airtightness, and a reduction in the levels of non-repeat thermal bridging. The results will be shared with the Scottish Government and the wider sector to help shape future new build housing, not only for Wheatley and its tenants but for all tenants of new build affordable homes in Scotland."

-- Advertisement --

This research is timely, as the Scottish Government has announced plans to introduce a new Scottish equivalent to the Passivhaus standard, an internationally recognised benchmark for energy performance in buildings that aims to dramatically reduce the need for space heating and cooling.

Wheatley and MAST Architects commissioned Dr Richard Atkins, a leading environmental and sustainability architect, to outline the technical standards for the six pilot homes. Dr Atkins commented: "The intention is that a rigorous quality assurance process is carried out during construction of the blocks, like those undertaken on Passivhaus projects, to ensure the houses are constructed as designed. This will ensure the performance gap, which often exists between buildings as designed and constructed, is minimised, and to also understand any additional requirements this poses on the project team."

CCG led the construction of the Shandwick Street development, utilising its enhanced closed panel timber system known as ‘iQ'. This system is fabricated in CCG OSM, one of the UK's most advanced offsite manufacturing facilities, where insulation, internal wall linings, windows, and external doors are installed under factory-controlled conditions.

While the 41 standard homes were built to the Glasgow Standard (Silver Aspects 2-8 and Gold Aspect 1 of Scottish Building Standards), the six pilot homes received additional enhancements to achieve the stringent airtightness levels required for Passivhaus accreditation. These enhancements included CCG's own Passivhaus-accredited, triple-glazed PVCu windows and enhanced door sets, fabricated in partnership with REHAU UK. Special attention was paid to detailing around openings to eliminate thermal bridging and minimise heat loss.

CCG Managing Director, David Wylie, added: "In light of recent regulatory and statutory changes, coupled with material and cost inflation, making affordable housing affordable has never been more challenging. With a focus on a just net zero transition and the potential introduction of the Scottish Passivhaus Equivalent, this research is incredibly important to understanding how enhanced building standards can be practically delivered at scale, while continuing to address localised housing needs. We share Wheatley's enthusiasm and foresight and look forward to working with them and MAST Architects in the months ahead."

CCG has a strong track record in Passivhaus construction in Scotland, having been involved since 2011. Their notable projects include Scotland's largest Passivhaus development in Dundashill, formally accredited in 2024, and West Dunbartonshire Council's first Passivhaus homes in Pappert, Bonhill, which are due for completion in spring 2025.