Construction of UK’s first Passivhaus hotel on the cards

by: Felicity Cousins | October 25, 2023

UK: A sustainable development in North Yorkshire, which could result in the UK’s first Passivhaus hotel, is awaiting the green light.

Octopi Property has instructed Silverstone, a firm of chartered building surveyors and project managers, to oversee the build of a new 20-bed coastal hotel in North Yorkshire.

Silverstone will project manage the construction of the UK’s first Passivhaus hotel. Last year Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection by Hilton became the first passivhaus hotel in the US.

The UK’s sustainable development will begin with the destruction of an existing hotel near Whitby and end with the creation of a new hotel, restaurant and bar known as Cliffemount at Runswick Bay.

Following Passivhaus principles, the building has been designed to deliver high thermal performance, meaning the property will require a much lower amount of energy to heat and maintain temperature, than a standard construction. We spoke to Bryan OknyanskyStudio Moren’s head of sustainability in a Q&A where he explains Passivhaus, read more here.

The Passivhaus benchmark is usually an aim for new-build housing projects and is not often used on commercial buildings.  

If the Cliffemount obtains the accreditation, it will become the first Passivhaus-accredited hotel in the UK. 

Josh Brown, associate director at Silverstone Building Consultancy, said: “We were originally instructed to carry out a building survey for the existing hotel and following the successful completion of that, we have won the privilege of working on this very exciting, prestigious project.”

Bowman Riley will be the architects and, subject to planning consent, construction will begin in Spring 2024.

Image: CGI of the Cliffemount Hotel, provided by Silverstone Building Consultancy