Image Courtesy of Jon Parker Lee
Completed and handed over in July 2026, Willohaus has welcomed its first residents.
The new build residential development delivers a total of 100 affordable and sustainable Passivhaus ‘Classic’ certified apartments on Peru Street in Salford. The part five, part six-storey building comprises a mix of one- and two-bedroom homes, including a proportion of accessible apartments at ground floor.
Willohaus is the second Passivhaus-certified residential scheme brought forward by the ECF in Salford, following the success of Greenhaus on Chapel Street, which completed in 2024. Salford housing association Salix Homes is the housing partner for Willohaus and owns and manages the new homes.
It marks the first completed residential development within Adelphi Village, part of the wider £2.5bn Crescent Salford masterplan.
Building Services Engineering Strategy
Hannan Associates provided the role of Building Services Engineering Consultant on the design team, working in collaboration with the Passivhaus Designer to develop the most effective design Strategy. Our duties included:
- Utilities services coordination
- Technical review and development of MEP strategy options and plant space requirements to achieve Passivhaus Certification
- Provide MEP design input into the PHPP assessment
- Develop a spatially coordinated MEP design
- Building Regulations Part L Compliance Assessments
- Building Regulations Part O Limiting Overheating Analysis
- Ongoing site inspections & reporting during the construction period
- Witnessing of the tested & commissioned MEP installations
The primary focus for buildings designed to achieve Passivhaus standards is to employ passive design measures to drive down energy demand. Further to this, the MEP services design is optimised to reduce operational energy intensity associated with the fixed building services.
The result of which is to provide an enhanced and more comfortable internal environment for residents, but importantly can reduce energy bills by typically 60%, up to a possible 90%, which offers a significant benefit to the resident.
To achieve full certification; the design and construction of the buildings are independently tested and verified prior to occupation.
Hannan Associates worked alongside Chroma, Buttress Architects, Clancy Consulting, Max Fordham, Re-Form, CBRE, Atkins Realis and DFC, in conjunction with main contractor Eric Wright Construction and MEP Contractor Ameon Building Services
Image Courtesy of Jon Parker Lee
ECF and Salford Crescent
Willohaus is part of ECF’s wider £2.5bn regeneration scheme transforming the area of Salford Crescent.
The masterplan contains commercial, retail, residential buildings and enhanced green spaces creating a new and vibrant destination for people to live, work and relax.
ECF is a joint venture between Muse, Legal & General and Homes England. Development partners for the masterplan also include Salford City Council and the University of Salford.
What is Passivhaus
Passivhaus is an international energy standard, originating in Germany, which emerged in the 1990’s and is regulated by The Passivhaus Trust. Passivhaus is typically applied to residential developments, however commercial buildings can also achieve certification. There are 3 ‘traditional’ levels of certification: Classic, Plus and Premium, with options for LEB (Low Energy Building) classification and a retrofit standard also available.
Certification is achieved by employing the 5 foundational principles of Passivhaus, summarised below:
1. Superior Insulation: Continuous, high-performance insulation
2. High-Performance Windows: Triple-glazing and insulated frames
3. Airtightness: Continuous sealing of the building envelope to prevent drafts.
4. Thermal Bridge-Free Design: Careful detailing to eliminate thermal interfaces where heat can escape.
5. Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR): Certified, highly efficient systems that supply constant, fresh filtered air while extracting waste heat from exhaust air
Why Design a Passivhaus Project?
Benefits of designing a Passivhaus Project include; improved thermal comfort, improved indoor air quality & reduced energy demand, which results in lower running costs and increased resident satisfaction.
A building designed to achieve Passivhaus Certification will typically outperform current Part L requirements and will more closely align with the Future Homes Standard and LETI targets. Passivhaus design can result in energy savings of between 60 – 90% for the end-user, with typical cost uplift of between 2-8% depending on the nature of the scheme.
For further information about key design requirements, MEP Strategy and cost considerations of Passivhaus projects please get in touch ………
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