Holbrook Timber Frame, manufacturer of trusses, floors and timber frame structures has recently supplied Gang-Nail Systems Ecojoist® for use in the construction of the first PassivHaus project in Wales. The Ebbw Vale project, which is built to German/Austrian PassivHaus standards, provides an example as to how future housing projects should be constructed, meeting sustainability and energy efficiency credentials.

Forming part of the Welsh Assembly Government™s low carbon building agenda, the new three-bedroom house will initially be used as a demonstrative model to indicate how it is possible to construct a building of this nature by following a set of simple and easy to follow building guidelines.

As such, Gang-Nail™s Ecojoists were installed on the project to allow for MVHR technology to be incorporated into the design of the house. Due to the nature of the Ecojoist, manufactured with an open steel web, it is possible to pass service pipes, wires and ducting through the recess without the need to cut or drill holes into the joist, which can impair its strength and constructional integrity.



Neil Smith, Director of Holbrook Timber Frame, commented, œBy working closely with the architects, we were able to suggest the use of Ecojoists in the overall design, allowing the MVHR to cleverly incorporated, without the need for additional constructional works. As the property will be initially used to display the ease with which a PassivHaus building can be constructed, it was important to use materials that could be easily installed in as little time as possible, whilst working towards the overall green agenda expected from the programme

He continued, œPassivHaus dwellings typically achieve an energy saving of 90% compared to existing housing. This figure is based upon the materials used and the building™s overall energy efficiency, making the use of renewable and recyclable materials, such as the timber used to create Ecojoists, a wise specification choice for a project of this nature.

Chosen primarily for this project due to the void with which pipes and wires can be fed, the Ecojoist also offers additional advantages in terms of its strength and robust nature. Due to its manufacturing process, Ecojoists offer a far superior level of strength that can withstand extremely heavy loads without additional support. With the PassivHaus project in particular, the use of Ecojoists allowed for the most minimal of materials to be used, working towards the environmental agenda of the PassivHaus standard. Ecojoist also assisted Holbrook Timber Frame in the detailing for the air tightness and cold bridging elimination required for the Passivhaus standard and was a contributory factor in Holbrook achieving an incredible air tightness of 0.29 which is one of the lowest results recorded in the UK