Air Tightness

We endeavour to design and detail buildings with a high level of airtightness. Having an airtight house means that its thermal performance is much more efficient with the warm air being unable to escape through the building fabric. It’s still very important to consider the airtightness of a building even if it has been very well insulated; the warm air will inevitably find it’s way out and you’ll have to pump the building with more heat to keep the ambient temperature stable.

We’re reaching the end of a barn conversion build at the moment and it was recently pressure tested to assess the level of air changes, or in laymans terms, how much air is leaking out of the building. The level achieved was an incredible 0.9 air changes/hour@n50, which surpasses not only the Building Regs target of 10 air changes/hour but also the Passivhaus retrofit target of 1.0 air changes/hour@n50.

This is an amazing result for a leaky old stone barn and has been achieved through careful and considered technical airtightness detailing, with diligent workmanship and attention to detail on site.

  • Oxfordshire farmhouse nearing completion - Careful design and attention to detail is breathing new life in to a collection of neglected farmhouse buildings in south Oxfordshire. We are restoring original brick barns and reorienting the main farmhouse to take full advantage of a fabulous view,
  • Black Barn Studios in Passive House + magazine - Our studio, Black Barn Studios is the cover star of the current edition of Passive House magazine. The magazine have written an in-depth article about our approach to creating a highly sustainable, energy efficient design exemplar. That attention to detail were key in
  • Planning permission for ultra sustainable office development - Planning approval has been given to a very exciting project; an ultra sustainable office development for an ethical investment company. The ambition of the client is to combine three main areas.  Working environment, sustainability and community. Taken together, these principles
  • Building Insights Podcast - Building Insights is a podcast which speaks to key people from across the construction industry. Ranging from the worlds of design, construction, development, self-build and social housing management, it provides an range of enlightening and unique viewpoints from a wide
  • Blackwood in competition shortlist - One of our recently completed projects, Blackwood , has been shortlisted for two prizes in this year’s The Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating Awards. It has been nominated for Best Self Build Home and Best Green Home. There is a People’s
  • Planning permission for home in conservation area - We are delighted to have received planning permission for a replacement dwelling on a tucked away and narrow site in Buckinghamshire. The proposals seek to improve the site with a low-energy and highly insulated dwelling that is sustainable and efficient
  • The design team visit to recently completed project - This week we had a team outing to visit one of our completed projects. It’s especially useful to see a project once the client’s have moved in and chat about how they are experiencing living in their new home. It
  • Planning permission for farmhouse annex - We have recently received planning permission for an annex to a farmhouse in Devon. The annex forms part of a multi-phased project for the farm. The design intends to provide accommodation for ageing members of the family where they can
  • Beanacre in The Modern House - A proud moment for the practice as Beanacre is featured in The Modern House journal this week. Click the link here to watch the full film. The team at TMH have done a wonderful job of bringing out the best in the
  • Summer Party! - Charlie Luxton Design recently turned 18! So to celebrate we held our first summer party at Black Barn Studio’s . We were also celebrating our recent AJ Small Projects Award for Sustainability, along with an exhibition of art from locally based artist Kelly Washbourne .
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