The Old Water Tower is a new four bedroom certified 'Passivhaus' family home on the edge of the village of Chieveley in West Berkshire.

The house is conceived as a modern interpretation of the timber framed barns of the area, that when seen from the distance reads as a simple, traditional, agricultural building. On closer inspection it reveals itself as a crisply designed, carefully made, contemporary interpretation of the historic buildings it draws inspiration from.

We have aimed to create a house that is on the cutting edge of sustainable design, yet eschews the “hair shirt” approach to sustainable living that many people think of when considering environmentally friendly homes. The house is as easy to live in as any “normal” home, yet costs virtually nothing to run and could be entirely self-reliant if a suitable number of photovoltaic and solar thermal panels were fitted to the roof.

Another critical aspect of the Passivhaus way of building is that the house provides exceptional levels of internal comfort, year round. A Mechanical Ventilation & Heat Recovery (MVHR) unit provides constant background ventilation, removing stale air and drawing in fresh air, so the house always has a fresh, ventilated feel, while maintaining its warmth.

The house has triple glazed windows, which are openable (debunking another “Passivhaus” myth which is that the house must always be closed) and large triple glazed sliding doors. External blinds on the East, South & West elevation are automatically deployed when the internal temperature of the house reaches 21 degrees, thus reducing the chance of overheating.