Locate were initially approached by Fife Council to develop a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ Business Incubator Unit for a site in Buntisland in 2006. Locate were then appointed to develop this into a ‘Passivhaus’ model for a site in Glenrothes as one of a proposed suite of Business Incubator Units in Fife, the first of which has been completed in Kirkcaldy.
 
When Locate were subsequently approached in May 2008 to develop their initial proposals for Burntisland, all involved agreed that the Passivhaus model was preferable. Fife HARCA – a subsidiary of Ore Valley Housing Association and a regeneration agency with a strong social agenda have taken over as Client which has resulted in the development of a stronger social emphasis to the project which complements the very high environmental credentials.
 
We have used similar specifications to those proposed at Glenrothes, for example, utilising massive timber elements to provide the main structure, with straw bale used for floor and roof insulation, heat recovery ventilation and very high performance glazing. We believe that this will be the first major commercial passivhaus standard building in the UK.
 
On a rather disjointed site, we have taken a good deal of care to try and ensure that the building not only ‘fits in’, but also helps to ‘knit together’ the other facilities and elements in the immediate area. Locate have been working towards a detailed Planning submission for the project, due for submission toward the end of the year.

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