A new Passivhaus school in Wolverhampton features Timber Innovations’ award-winning Larsen Panel System.

Working with Tilbury Douglas, Timber Innovations completed the design, manufacture and supply of a complete timber frame package for the new primary school for Shireland Collegiate Multi Academy Trust (SCMAT) on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE).

Timber Innovations was specified to manufacture and supply the Larsen Panel System, which comprises a prefabricated twin-stud system for external walling that offers 360mm of non-combustible insulation, while supporting the cold bridging strategy.

To ensure an airtight line, the timber panels have an adhesive vapour permeable membrane applied to the inside face for site taping.

Our system not only met the stringent Passivhaus low-energy credentials but also addressed the City of Wolverhampton Council’s objectives to improve air-quality in schools and reduce energy usage.

We worked with Passivhaus consultants Delta Q to ensure we met the low-carbon brief and following our successful completion, results of the first airtightness test in January 2024 showed the system exceeded the Passivhaus standard by more than 100%.

Moreover, air changes per hour have to achieve 0.6ACH @50 pascals, and our system averaged 0.225ACH @50 pascals. The air permeability requirement of 0.93m3/hm2 achieved 0.33m3/hm2.