In London’s Muswell Hill, this Edwardian terrace house was extended and refurbished by Architecture for London into a low energy house. As the home of Ben Ridley, Director at Architecture for London, the project strives to set an example of the sustainable refurbishment of a typical terraced London home, within a constrained budget. Embodied energy and energy in-use were considered in depth throughout the project.
While celebrating the original structure and beauty of the house, new additions include a rear extension and loft conversion while energy requirements are dramatically reduced thanks to new triple-glazing and added insulation.
The existing walls were insulated externally at the side and rear of the home, and internally at the front with wood fibre. The internal insulation at the front allowed for the original Edwardian façade to be preserved and maintained. The rear extension was built in highly insulated 172mm SIPS and all existing building elements achieved a Passivhaus standard U-value of 0.15 or better.
On the ground floor, masonry nib walls were retained to avoid the need for energy-intensive steel box frames and natural materials such as stone, timber, and lime plaster were specified in place of cement-based products.
Finally, an MVHR system provides pre-heated fresh air that warms the home. The system also fosters a healthy indoor environment by filtering incoming air to remove pollen, diesel particulates, and NOx.
