£315+ million Passivhaus projects underway.

Millions of pounds are being invested across Northern Ireland to deliver Passivhaus certified buildings. The joint UK & Ireland Passivhaus Conference will be held in Belfast (and online) this 7-8 October to help spotlight the rapid growth of Passivhaus in Northern Ireland, and across the UK and Ireland. The conference will explore how Passivhaus can protect local communities from rising energy bills, help meet climate goals, and boost low carbon jobs. 

Passivhaus is an international quality assurance building standard delivering high levels of air quality and comfort, while radically reducing energy use from buildings. Major Passivhaus projects underway in Northern Ireland include the Weavers’ Hall Passivhaus student accommodation in Belfast, currently under construction for Queen’s University Belfast, and the redevelopment of two College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) campuses targeting the Passivhaus Premium standard. Fermanagh & Omagh District Council’s Lakeland Forum Redevelopment in Enniskillen, will be the first Passivhaus leisure centre on the island of Ireland. Northern Irish housebuilders Fraser Millar have demonstrated that the Passivhaus methodology can be rolled out at scale, with its Lancaster Park 219-home development in Belfast targeting the Passive House Institute Low Energy Building (PHI LEB) standard. The Passivhaus Trust estimates that at least £315 million is invested in Northern Ireland’s Passivhaus projects currently underway. 

The conference will also look at why the biggest housebulders in Ireland and the UK are turning to the Passivhaus standard, with recent commitments by Ireland’s Cairn Homes and the UK’s Baratt London, to deliver Passivhaus at scale. Successful funding models that have enabled rapid Passivhaus delivery will also be explored, drawing on examples from Scotland and internationally.

Northern Ireland Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs Andrew Muir has helped launch and welcome the Belfast Passivhaus Conference, which will run from 7-8 October at the ICC Belfast.  The first conference to be jointly coordinated by the Passive House Association of Ireland and the UK Passivhaus Trust, the Belfast conference is also expected to draw visitors from the wider international Passivhaus community, 

To help support the launch of the conference, Minister Andrew Muir met representatives from the Passive House Association of Ireland and Conference Gold Sponsors Ecological Building Systems outside Weavers’ Hall Passivhaus student accommodation in Belfast, currently under construction for Queen’s University Belfast. Andrew Haley, Chairperson of the Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) for Architecture and the Built Environment in Northern Ireland, and representatives from Queen’s University Belfast and the Weavers’ Hall project team, joined them to help celebrate the announcement. 

• Andrew Muir, Northern Ireland Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs, said: “I am delighted that Belfast is hosting the joint UK and Ireland Passivhaus Conference, spotlighting the impressive Passivhaus innovation and upscaling taking place in Northern Ireland, and across the UK and Ireland. The conference will be updated on the vital work being taken forward by my Department to tackle and to adapt to climate change in a just and fair way which creates new opportunities in a green economy. It will also hear how those aims are being embodied here through the Passivhaus approach at the Weavers’ Hall development and in other major projects across Northern Ireland, including within my own Department through the £160m redevelopment of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) campuses.”

• Andrew Haley, Chairperson, Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) for Architecture and the Built Environment in Northern Ireland, said: “From Erne Campus in Enniskillen, the world’s largest Passivhaus Premium building, to large-scale housing and student accommodation across Belfast, Passivhaus is rightly drawing the attention of developers, social housing, Executive departments, and local authorities, as well as policymakers. It offers huge opportunities for Northern Ireland, in terms of tackling fuel poverty and achieving climate goals.”

• Caroline Ashe Brady, Chairperson of Passive House Association of Ireland said: “We are thrilled to be working together with the Passivhaus Trust, our UK sister organisation, to shine a spotlight on the incredible upscaling of Passivhaus currently underway in Ireland and the UK. To have large-scale housebuilders adopting Passivhaus at scale, including Ireland’s Cairn Homes and the UK’s Barratt London, is a total game-changer.”

• Declan Loane, Specification Advisor at Conference Gold Sponsor Ecological Building Systems, said: “As a company operating in both Ireland and the UK, we are seeing unprecedented demand for lower carbon insulation and airtightness products to help meet Passivhaus requirements in both new build and retrofit. From supplying large-scale Passivhaus schools to one-off self-builds, our products, technical back-up, and training are supporting projects across the UK and Ireland, helping to deliver comfort and carbon savings at scale. We’re excited to be Gold Sponsor at the conference and spotlighting Passivhaus solutions in response to a changing climate.”

• Sara Lynch, Head of Sustainability at Queen’s University Belfast said: “Weavers’ Hall reflects Queen’s University’s commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2040 and our ambition to deliver low emission buildings through Passivhaus certification. Prioritising both carbon reduction and occupant wellbeing, this landmark development will be the first Passivhaus purpose-built student accommodation in Belfast, and the largest Passivhaus-certified building on the island of Ireland. Serving as a ‘living laboratory’ for energy-efficient design and construction, it will provide lasting benefits for staff and students.”

• Jon Bootland, Chief Executive of the Passivhaus Trust said: “In the face of the cost-of-living crisis and growing public demand for climate-conscious choices, Passivhaus — a proven, practical solution — has never been more relevant or urgent. The question is no longer if, but how fast. Join leading voices, policymakers, practitioners, and pioneers in Belfast and online to explore ways Passivhaus is leading the climate transition.”

The UK & Ireland Passivhaus Conference takes place at the ICC Belfast (and online) on 7-8 October. Complimentary tickets are available to those working in the public sector, students, and academics, but spaces are limited.

Find out more: ukphc.org.uk