St Sidwell's Point Leisure Centre
Design Passivhaus
St Sidwell's Point Leisure Centre
The Team
- Client - Exeter City Council
- Passivhaus Designer - Gale & Snowden Architects
- Main Contractor - Kier
- Structural & MEP Engineer - Arup
- Passivhaus Certifier - Passive House Institute
Project Information
- Passivhaus Classic
- LEISURE 4 Pools, Fitness Studios, Cafe and supporting spaces
- Airtightness Passivhaus Requirement: q50 ≤ 0.4 m3 /h per m2 envelope area (8m3/hr/m2 for building regulations) - Recorded: q50 ≤ 0.3 m2 /h per m2 envelope area
Our Role
St Sidwell's is the first Passivhaus leisure centre in the UK, the airtightness requirement was exceptional for this building as it had such a complex form and range of constructions. We provided Airtightness Consultancy to the Contractor and training alongside our sister company Coaction.
With our help the Contractor upskilled its workforce (we love to disperse our knowledge rather than holding onto it!). With Kier we developed the Passivhaus Passport to set a new benchmark for quality. This programme introduced key Passivhaus principles, essential quality controls, and trade‑specific best practice, with over 2,500 operatives completing the training and gaining skills and confidence to build to the Passivhaus Standard. The shared knowledge and consistent workforce on site led to exceptional results, including an airtightness score of 0.3 m³/hr/m² @ 50Pa. The approach also strengthened quality, pride, and collaboration across the project team.
During the project we assisted in developing strategies for intermediate testing, mock-ups and quality sign off as well as undertaking tests.
St Sidwell’s Point showcases what’s possible when clients, designers, contractors and the supply chain are united by a common goal and the right training.
