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This week West of Scotland Housing Association and development partners hub West and CCG (Scotland) unveiled a plaque to celebrate the “Passivhaus” certification of the landmark Springfield Cross social housing development in Glasgow’s East End — a significant milestone in the city’s sustainability agenda of achieving ‘net zero’ by 2045.
“Passivhaus” is one of the most rigorous design standards for new build housing in the UK. To achieve the certification, homes employ thicker insulation and triple-glazing amongst a range of innovative measures to vastly improve airtightness. Through minimising areas for heat to escape, this results in a much lower demand for energy which in turn drastically reduces annual fuel bills and is a means to tackle fuel poverty.
These ultra-low emission homes also see benefits through the use of a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system. The system recycles heat generated in everyday use of the property to provide constant, filtered air, meaning that indoor air quality is healthier to breathe. When work began in 2020, Springfield Cross - located in Glasgow’s East End, at the junction of London Road and Springfield Road - was the largest Passivhaus development in Glasgow. It comprises a total of 36 two and three bed homes for social renting and provides comfortable, sustainable living for our tenants, the first of whom began moving in late 2022.
WSHA are now in the late stages of construction of a new Passivhaus-certified site to the North of the city, in Dundashill. The Dundashill development comprises 90 one-to-three-bedroom homes, including the Association’s first homes available for Mid-Market Rent, let by our subsiduary Westscot Living. Dundashill is the largest Passivhaus development under construction in Scotland.
Brian Gannon, WSHA's Chief Executive, said:
“All the Partners in this project can be proud of what we have achieved in delivering what was, at the time, Scotland’s biggest Passivhaus development. It is often easier to let others be the innovators and follow on after lessons have been learned, particularly when there are financial and reputational risks. So, we are delighted that the challenge of providing an innovative Passivhaus social housing development has proved so successful, not just for the partners involved, but more importantly for the significant impact it has had on the health, finances and general well-being of the residents living in these new energy efficient and affordable homes”.
Reduced energy bills for the tenant and lower carbon emissions demonstrate the adoption of Passivhaus standard as a hugely important step forward in understanding how fuel poverty can be tackled across Scotland.
Councillor Kenny McLean, Convener for Housing at Glasgow City Council, said:
“There is a lot of important work going on in Glasgow to deliver homes that are affordable to heat and are energy-efficient, and this development at Springfield Cross is a fantastic example of that. These socially-rented homes are significant in terms of what can be achieved in meeting the city’s aims to combat fuel poverty and reduce emissions, and we were delighted to work with our partners in the completion of this development. Further good news is that more such homes are being built in Glasgow.”