19th Century Mews becomes cutting edge eco-home

A 19^th Century mews house in Chelsea has become one of the UK’s only period properties to achieve PassivHaus status, which is one of the fastest growing energy performance standards in the world. Located on the Cadogan Estate in the heart of the Hans Town Conservation Area, the house has been retrofitted by Cadogan to create a highly sustainable home.

The mews, which is situated on Pavilion Road behind Sloane Street, is also one of the oldest homes in the UK to achieve a BREEAM ‘outstanding’ score. The rating makes it one of only 1% of UK domestic refurbishments to realise this certification, and marks a first for Cadogan. The PassivHaus standard is popular in Germany but in the UK there are only 250 residential and commercial PassivHaus properties. It is one of only a handful of retrofitted PassivHaus buildings across the country.

Hugh Seaborn, CEO of Cadogan, commented: “126 Pavilion Road has set a new precedent in environmental performance, meeting the demand for an energy-efficient property in a highly desirable location. We will be closely monitoring its performance over the next 12 months – both in terms of energy efficiency and wellbeing benefits for its residents – before deciding whether to roll out these measures more widely within our residential portfolio.

Pavilion Road is in a conservation area, so it was hugely important for us to retain the charm and historic character of the building. From the outside, the PassivHaus looks no different to its neighbours, retaining the heritage of the area, whilst internally it has been tastefully refurbished and retrofitted with cutting edge energy efficient measures. It benefits from being in the heart of Chelsea, close to the shops and restaurants on Duke of York Square and Sloane Street, in addition to the artisan independent food traders on Pavilion Road.”

The PassivHaus standard centres on the simplicity of the design, exceptional thermal performance, and unrivalled airtightness with mechanical ventilation. This design minimises the ‘Heating Demand’ of the building, eradicating the need for gas or electrical heating. Energy consumption at the new house on Pavilion Road will be reduced by 85%. The indoor air quality of the home is also outstanding, achieved by the airtight seal on the property which reduces the air infiltration rates and the MVHR unit which filters and post heats fresh air.

Louisa Gilchrist, Head of Residential at Cadogan, adds: “The PassivHaus project has been three years in the making and we’re exceptionally pleased with the result. It’s often thought that environmentally friendly properties cannot achieve as luxurious a finish as other homes on the market, but we have managed to dispel this myth – all of the finishes and fittings are of the highest quality, from the beautiful engineered oak floor to Domus tiling and matt bronze Strada London ironmongery.

It will be incredibly fuel efficient, with heating bills expected to be as little as £20 for the entire year. In addition to this are the health benefits reported from similar projects – the constant supply of fresh air ensures pollutants and odours are removed from the building whilst maintaining a comfortable indoor air temperature. The high performance insulation and triple glazed windows will also ensure it is extremely peaceful, protected from any noise pollution associated with living in a thriving urban environment”.

The period property has been reconfigured and updated with a contemporary kitchen/dining room, toilet and garage on the ground floor, large open plan living room on the second in addition to a master bedroom on the third floor with office space and en-suite, and a further bedroom and separate family bathroom.

126 Pavilion Road is available on the rental market now at £1,795 per week (including complimentary Cadogan Concierge service), offering 1,636sq ft of living space.