Wootton Wawen

Located in Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire, this Passivhaus development built at Keyte Gardens provides 14 affordable homes for people with family ties to the village. The development is comprised of 7 x 2 bed bungalows, 4 x 2 bed houses and 1 x 3 bed house, all for affordable rent. As well as 2 x 2 bed houses for shared ownership. The Passivhaus housing development was in response to the immense desire within the local community to have homes that provided environmental benefits. Tackling fuel poverty, a key priority, Morton Wykes Kramer were involved in the seven- year research and development project to provide housing that is not only affordable and spacious, but also energy efficient. The immensely successful development earned Morton Wykes Kramer the Best Green Scheme UK-Wide in the 24housing awards. Keyte Gardens was also shortlisted in The Sunday Times British Homes Awards, in the ‘Housing Crisis Solution’ category in 2019.

The key design features of the Wootton Wawen Passivhaus development include: triple glazing, wrough iron canopy porches, significant levels of insulation and brick corbel detailing. A 12-metre-wide native tree buffer zone was planted to act as an eco-soakaway for surface water. The tree buffer zone will also diminish any visual impact the development may have had on the countryside. Passivhaus rigorous standards create buildings which are energy efficient to reduce their environmental footprint. The space heating cots are 70% less than a standard house, achieved through the air tightness and insulation. Additionally, the development has perfect North-South orientation to boost solar gain in winter months.