Deep-Retrofit House Design | Tailored Architecture

Deep-retrofit House Design – Tailored Architecture

How to re-invigorate your home with deep-retrofit.

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What is deep-retrofit?

Our existing houses constitute the largest opportunity for energy reduction as our homes are one of the greatest users of energy.

Deep retrofit is the most efficient way of reducing our dependency on fossil fuels. As of 2022, just over 40% of the UK’s electricity is generated from fossil fuel sources*. To fully release ourselves from depending on fossil fuels we need to carefully upgrade our homes to reduce consumption. Switching to renewably produced electricity without significant consumption reduction is not sustainable.

Our homes will need a combination of building fabric upgrades and low-carbon heating systems. These will need to be considered carefully and balanced to vastly increase the thermal performance of a house, and thus heavily reduce the operational carbon in the future, while using low-impacting materials to alleviate the upfront embodied carbon emissions which are baked into any project during the construction phase.

*Source: HM Departement of Energy Security and Net Zero – 2022

Tailored Architecture has a deep knowledge of the requirements to reduce a home’s energy usage through the hierarchy of energy conservation. We are developing strategies for affordable deep retrofit of existing houses, keeping the whole life carbon cycle at the heart of any works.

This technical knoweledge is coupled with our architectural design know-how to develop thoughtful contemporary reconfigurations and extensions to existing dwellings. Creative re-planning is deployed to unlock the potetual improving flow and creating healthy and enjoyable homes to live in.

How we use low-energy and Passive House principles to redesign your home?

Sustainability is the bedrock of Tailored Architecture’s design, construction, and development process.

We have adopted these six design principles, derived from Passive House, in every project we undertake to deliver energy-efficient and light-touch environmental homes.

Building form

Building form is always derived directly from the site context, with considerations taken to minimise the overall surface area of the thermal envelope. A dense and efficient form and massing reduces the heat loss minimising the required heat demand and emissions.

Solar access

Solar gains are considered to maximise the winter warmth available reducing overall heat demand. Careful design of window openings and potential solar shading in the form of sliding screens and horizontal canopies will be deployed to reduce risks of overheating in summer. Natural ventilation will be use for summer time cooling avoiding the use of mechanical comfort cooling.

Fabric first

All buildings are designed with enhanced building fabric to lower the required heating demand, also coupled with airtightness to further reduce heat losses. This allows for a smaller heating plant to be installed reducing overall emissions.

Embodied carbon

Materials and construction methods where possible will be chosen to limit their embodied carbon emissions.

Low carbon heating systems and renewable technologies

Enhanced building fabric and careful inclusion of controlled solar access allows for the installation and operation of an low-carbon heating systems for example heat-pumps. This will reduce the overall heating impact of the proposed dwelling. Battery storage is to be considered to provide electrical storage reducing the impact of peak energy use.

Deconstruction and re-use

Consideration of the materials and construction methods used to allow for deconstruction and reuse in their current form. Reducing the disposal element of construction and energy intensive recycling processes.