FLEMING has achieved certification for a major Passivhaus project at Burnbrae Road, Bonnyrigg. This marks one of the largest certified Passivhaus projects in Scotland to date and the first of Midlothian Council’s Passivhaus schemes to be certified.
Appointed in 2020 to work alongside stakeholders in a two-stage design and build, Fleming assisted with the design from the outset. The development features 16 residential flats, four residential houses, and a ground floor retail unit.
To achieve Passivhaus certification, Fleming worked in collaboration with the design team and Passivhaus designer. By working alongside sister division, Fleming Timber Structures, the business revealed it was able to optimise the timber frame solution, utilising experience from the delivery of several other certified Passivhaus projects. This allowed several design decisions to be made early.
Fleming add that a key benefit of utilising a structural timber frame was addressing embodied carbon. Other materiality choices aided this such as using sheep wool insulation around windows rather than oil-based expanding foams.
Neil Davidson, special projects co-ordinator – place at Midlothian Council, “We found Fleming to be very pragmatic throughout the project from the design period through to the completion of the project. They worked to find solutions in a very positive manner and the council are delighted with the end product which aligns with our policies to provide warm, comfortable, high-performance homes for our residents/tenants.
“This project demonstrates how the latest design and construction standards can contribute to lower energy costs and sustainability. The decision to build these new homes is part of our commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030 as outlined in the council’s Climate Change Strategy. These new homes are part of Phase 3 of the council’s innovative housebuilding programme.”
Claire Cockburn, senior architect and Passivhaus designer at Smith Scott Mullan Associates, added, “We had an excellent and effective working relationship with Fleming on this project. Burnbrae was one of the first Passivhaus projects for most of the project team and involved upskilling and learning for everyone.
“Fleming were enthusiastic in tackling this new challenge, and worked collaboratively with us to meet the quality and demands associated with a Passivahus project. The finished project looks great and we hope the residents enjoy their new low-energy and comfortable homes. We look forward to working with Fleming again on future projects.”
Euan McDermott, pre-construction manager at Fleming, commented, “Working within an industry that’s rapidly moving towards more sustainable practices, Fleming is leading the way with learning and development, allowing them to continue to add value to client projects at every stage. At Fleming, we’re always learning – from our design team to the tradesman on site, we’ve really been prioritising upskilling our in-house team. The industry has spent so long being unsustainable, so it’s more important than ever we all start focusing on the journey to net zero.”
