The whole house refurbishment of a 1950s semi-detached house in Cambridge has recently culminated in the project achieving EnerPHit certification. Greengauge was part of the project team supporting the retrofit in the role of Passivhaus Consultant, as well as undertaking M&E design.

What might happen to our buildings if the AMOC shuts down? Climate scientists are increasingly concerned that a key Atlantic Ocean circulation may be on the cusp of shutting down - with a range of catastrophic impacts including much colder winters in the UK. What are the impacts for our buildings, asks Greengauge Director Toby Cambray. 

The buildings we deliver today shape the communities of tomorrow. 🏫 Caledonia High School has officially been handed over to Fife Council and will welcome more than 1,700 pupils later this summer. Built to Passivhaus standards, the new school is expected to use around 75% less energy than a standard new-build UK school, creating a comfortable learning environment while helping reduce carbon emissions for years to come. Designed with flexible learning spaces, digital facilities and community use in mind, the school has been built to support future generations across west Fife. It is the second Passivhaus school BAM has delivered for Fife Council, following the success of Woodmill and St Columba's High School, which recorded more than £433,000 in energy savings during its first year of operation. We’re proud to have worked alongside Fife Council, Hub East Central Scotland and the Scottish Futures Trust to deliver another school that will make a lasting difference. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eK_nwhWb #MakingPossible #Education

The school, which will replace Inverkeithing High School, has been built to international energy standards.

Greengauge is now offering online and in-person CPDs for architectural practices. CPDs are available on the following topics: Top tips for Passivhaus certification; Key principles of Passivhaus design; Achieving EnerPHit on heritage projects.

Greengauge recommendations for simple design measures to avoid overheating and maximise summer comfort.

Greengauge Director Toby Cambray explores the science behind a European approach to managing moisture levels in homesWhile the German language gifts us wonderfully complex compound words, few are as practically valuable in buildings as Stoßlüften – literally "shock ventilation". This deceptively simple practice of opening windows wide for short periods, rather than leaving them cracked open continuously, represents a masterclass in applied building physics.

Gerard Thacker, Associate Director at Greengauge, shares his thoughts on the beneficial inter-relationship between building services and building physics.As a building services engineer who has undertaken Passivhaus training, Gerard sees more and more how the two disciplines can work well together when problem-solving for both new-build and retrofit projects.

The topic of VAT on retrofit is (for our UK readership) a point of significant concern, the disparity making it disproportionately costly to refurbish than to build new, setting up undesirable incentives (to knock down and re-build, with all the additional up-front carbon) and arbitrarily and unfairly penalising one type of building work over another. […]

Something exciting has been building behind the scenes. Introducing the Wild House 🌿 Set in the heart of Wilder Doddington, this pioneering centre for learning, research, wellbeing and nature recovery is built to give back. The Wild House is set to become England’s first Passivhaus Premium building, pending certification. Designed to generate significantly more renewable energy than it consumes, it is a building with purpose, powered by nature 🍃 Offering an inspiring, purposeful setting away from the everyday, find out more about this sustainable space:...

Greengauge Director and Passivhaus Certifier Paul Smith shares his thoughts on the 2026 International Passivhaus Conference in Essen.

An infill development of nine highly insulated and airtight new build houses on a constrained brownfield site for a private developer in Devizes, Wiltshire. The Passivhaus standard was targeted and formal Passivhaus certification was achieved for the larger terrace of six houses to the north of the site. Greengauge was brought in to provide MEP Design for the project and provided some PHPP support in relation to building services.

Caledonia High School achieves 0.337 ACH, setting a new standard for low-energy, high-performance school design in Scotland.