Simpson TWS is pleased to announce that the John Street development in Newham has achieved Passivhaus Classic Certification, a major milestone for this innovative affordable housing scheme.
Delivered in partnership with the London Borough of Newham and Higgins Partnerships, the development provides 70 affordable homes across three residential buildings, including apartment blocks and family houses arranged around a landscaped central courtyard.
Simpson TWS (Graphic Structures) supported the project from its early stages, providing structural and civil engineering design services through planning, tender and delivery. A key part of our role involved undertaking detailed embodied carbon assessments and structural calculations to help inform material selection and construction methods. This enabled the project team to reduce the development’s overall carbon footprint while maintaining design quality and buildability.
Achieving the Passivhaus Classic standard demonstrates exceptional levels of energy efficiency, airtightness and thermal performance. Residents will benefit from improved comfort, healthier indoor environments and lower energy costs through significantly reduced heating and cooling demand.
Commenting on the achievement, Mark Mawby, Project Lead at Simpson TWS, said:
“Structural engineers are an integral part of the design process for achieving Passivhaus standards while maintaining buildability and cost certainty for the contractor. Our team learned many valuable lessons from this and other projects delivered for the London Borough of Newham, and we are now bringing that experience to developers in the private sector.”
The John Street development showcases how collaborative design and engineering can deliver high-quality, low-carbon homes and set a benchmark for sustainable residential development in London.