Paragraph 80 Home

Situated alongside an historic Roman Route and with the Chiltern Hills Area of Natural Beauty on its doorstep—a new build Paragraph 80—is expected to be a truly exceptional and innovative development. Through extensive collaboration with Napier University in Edinburgh, this project will be the first residential development built with homegrown mass timber - sourced in Scotland. As mass timber is usually imported from the German Alps, this immediately reduces the net emissions of the project and will offer a valuable learning opportunity for both students and the industry as a whole.

The planning stage of this project was a truly collaborative experience - especially as planning was carried out during the worst of the pandemic, a time when collaboration in all forms was key. While the house is designed to be passive and therefore naturally low-energy, Mesh’s expertise was vital in ensuring an effective energy strategy and building performance. 

The house was situated to ensure its elongated, highly-glazed aspect faced south, allowing for maximum utilisation of solar warmth and light. Mesh provided the design team with simulations using dynamic thermal modelling to gain a measured understanding of how the design would affect the internal environment. We also undertook an overheating study, working to accepted CIBSE criteria, to ensure that the increased fenestration wouldn’t result in unsafe overheating for the future inhabitants.