A ‘pioneering retrofit of a pre-1919 tenement to Passivhaus standards’, by Southside Housing Association in Glasgow, is reported on by Scottish Construction Now.
image for illustration purposes only – Thomas Nugent / Dudley Drive
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Dudley_Drive_-_geograph.org.uk_-_580164.jpg
… project is a demonstration of a deep retrofit…. works which are also the subject of a careful ongoing research..
Scottish Construction Now writes:
Glasgow has around 73,000 iconic pre-1919 sandstone tenements. Their age, built form, condition and multiple forms of ownership constitute major challenges for the achievement of net zero emission targets across the housing stock, a critical element of wider carbon reduction strategies. This project is a demonstration of a deep retrofit of one such typical tenement, works which are also the subject of a careful ongoing research evaluation.
The tenement retrofit concerns eight single bed flats in one traditional tenement close on Niddrie Road in Strathbungo East, in the inner south side of the city. It is a few yards away from the entrance to Queen’s Park railway station, and close to Pollokshaws Road….
This project aims to explore how far it is possible to push the pre-1919 tenement with regards to energy efficiency and minimising resource use, targeting between 70-90% reduction in energy use, without compromising the comfort and health of the residents.
Measures being introduced as part of the project include:
- Maintenance and repair of the building fabric, including vital structural repairs 450mm of loft insulation
- Combination of internal wall and external wall insulation, utilising natural and vapour-open materials for IWI
- Ground floor insulation
- Triple glazed windows and doors
- Mechanical ventilation and heat recovery
- Exceptional levels of air-tightness
- Wastewater heat recovery to baths and showers
- Layout altered to provide better flexibility and accessibility
- Heat pumps installed to four flats, to test future decarbonisation strategies
Beyond that the project has wider social aims, exploring themes of fuel poverty, vacant housing and adaptation of existing/historic buildings….
Sustainability and social perspective
Those involved in the project believe that the holistic approach taken to the 107 Niddrie Road project should serve as an exemplar case study for the deep retrofit of traditional buildings, the themes the project addresses include:
Energy efficient retrofit of historic buildings: ….
Re-use of vacant and derelict buildings:….
Local sustainability issues and standards
A vital case study for urban Scotland’s most iconic typology, this first-of-its-kind project explores the potential to retrofit tenements in Scotland to enerPHit standards….
The retrofit works are scheduled to be completed in November 2021 with the evaluation completed by the early Spring of 2022.
Costs of the refurbishment project and its funding or financing came from Glasgow City Council funds (£445k), Southside Housing Association funds (£517k) and the Scottish Government’s Social Housing Net Zero Fund (£129k).
For further information on the construction project, contact Patrick McGrath, Director, Southside Housing Association, by email at PMcGrath@southside-ha.co.uk….
