Primrose Park is a picturesque development situated off Bodmin Road in Whitleigh.

The development has 72 brand new homes built to Passivhaus standards, meaning they will be highly energy efficient, and economical to run. The properties are designed to stay cool when it’s hot, and warm when it’s cold. They are air-tight and highly insulated, with mechanical ventilation to keep warm fresh air circulating around the house.

A number of the dwellings are built to lifetime homes standards, so they can be easily adapted to meet any changing future needs.

Plymouth Community Homes appointed Airey and Coles to provide a full range of civil and structural engineering design services. A first for passivhaus on a large affordable housing scheme. Of the 72 dwellings, 23 are for shared ownership sale, and 49 homes for rent.The project presented a number of engineering challenges to overcome, not least of which was the site topography and developing pioneering solutions to ensure a suitable foundation solution that meet full Passivhaus standards.