Oak Tree House is the first certified Passivhaus to be constructed in the Tyneside area. Built beside an oak tree on a large sloping rear garden plot, it uses a breathable twin timber frame, site-sourced stone and minimises the use of steel.
Due to site access constraints, the frame had to be built onsite. A Revit plug-in automated some of the frame drawing process, allowing the structure to be panelised, with the timbers arriving at the site cut to lengths.
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LocationGateshead, UK
Completion Date2019
Gross Internal Floor Area213 m²
ArchitectMawson Kerr
Project TypeResidential
Building TypeHouse
Structural EngineerJCC Engineers
Main ContractorShawm Ltd
PhotographerJill Tate
Product InfoC24 timber; glulam; plywood; OSB
Timber Speciesspruce; Scottish larch
Timber ElementsTimber frame; beams; cladding
Upfront carbon emissions (A1-A5)392.7 kgCO₂e/m²
Stored biogenic carbon92.6 kgCO₂e/m²
Operational energy (B6)46.5 kWh/m²/yr
Airtightness at 50pa0.36 m³/hr/m²
Overall area-weighted U-value0.26 W/m²k
Design life80 years
The house is cut into the slope of the site. Living spaces are on the upper floor to make the most of views across the valley, with large windows to the south and west. Passive measures control solar gains, such as the balcony overhang, timber louvres and the deep window reveals all reduce summer overheating, whilst allowing beneficial solar gains in the winter months.
To keep steel to a minimum, the balcony cantilever uses glulam timber and bespoke plywood beams. The only steel on the project is in the timber connections and the fins from which the balcony deck is hung. The timber cladding is sourced locally, while stone from the site is used within the project.
