A pioneering development set to be built in York could provide crucial insights into the design of future homes across the country.
An application is in with City of York Council to build two identical residential properties either side of a laboratory at the University of York.
One of the homes would be built to the highest energy efficient standards and the other to basic building regulations
That would allow university scientists to research air quality and the associated effects on health.
“The scheme will include the design of two identical residential properties, each of circa 81m², one of which is to be built to Passivhaus standards and the other to be to current UK Building Regulations standards,” planning documents state.
“Both properties will be linked by a central single-storey laboratory facility to better understand how the air tightness and thermal performance of building impact the quality of indoor air.”
Passivhaus refers to buildings that undergo extremely energy efficient standards that go above and beyond the typical UK Building Regulations standards.
Both two-storey homes will have “semi-open plan living on the ground floor. The house will have a living room, kitchen, WC, three bedrooms, a bathroom and a hallway/lobby.
“The single-storey laboratory will offer an office space suited for four workers, a laboratory suitable for equipment and guest instrumentation as needed, plant room with incoming electrical supply, a lobby space and an accessible toilet/changing facility.”
It would be built on the university’s Heslington East campus. You can read the reserved matters application here.