Built for PHT Patron Exeter City Council, Edward's Court is the UK's first Passivhaus certified Extra Care facility.
Providing 53 social rent & part-ownership apartments with a mix of one and two bedrooms, Edward's Court aims to offer a space where residents can safely maintain an independent lifestyle with various levels of support and care.
Designed to encourage community and companionship among its residents and neighbours, a variety of communal areas are interspersed throughout the 5-storey building, including a quiet spiritual space, café/dining room, multipurpose spaces, gardens, a library and a spa/hairdressing suite, and support staff apartment.
A centralised MVHR (mechanical ventilation with heat recovery) system has been utilised and split into 4 separate zones served by separate units: north and south apartment zones, communal area zone and commercial kitchen. Heating and hot water for the apartments is supplied via gas boilers centrally, with heating supplied through underfloor heating.
The scheme has adopted the council’s Design for Future Climate Change requirements to improve the resilience of the building, using Exeter University’s PROMETHEUS weather data up to 2080.
Window sizes have been carefully optimised to balance daylight and overheating risk, with deep reveals covering the window frames. The south-west facing café/dining space on the top floor has been shaded with a pergola on the roof terrace. The design has provided for the possible later retrofit of exterior shutters to bedrooms, to adapt to future changing summer temperatures. Climbing plants on the balconies will add greenery without damaging the building façade and provide shading to balconies.
As well as utilising Passivhaus building physics principles, the scheme has been delivered to meet building biology principles, which reduces physical, chemical and biological risks and eliminates toxic materials and electro-magnetic radiation for a natural, healthy environment. Materials are as natural as possible, with particular care made to avoid skin irritants and ensure optimum air quality.
