Urbanest Battersea certified as UK’s largest Passivhaus building 10.02.25

Urbanest Battersea, developed for leading central London student accommodation provider urbanest, has successfully achieved Passivhaus standard accreditation. The certification from the Passivhaus institute makes it the largest Passivhaus building in the UK and the eighth largest in the world, which stands as a testament to the exceptional collaboration and combined expertise of the core project team of urbanest, AHMM, Mace and Henriksen Studio.

Situated close to the iconic Battersea Power Station, urbanest Battersea provides purpose-built, carefully designed, energy efficient accommodation for 853 students. This achievement also establishes it as the largest student dormitory / university building designed to Passivhaus standards in Europe, and the third largest in the world after UTSC in Canada and the Cornell Tower in New York.

Situated at the northern edge of the Battersea Design and Tech Quarter masterplan, the four-block development steps up in height from 11 to 19 storeys, serving as a gateway into the site. Its glazed terracotta facades in a vibrant colour palette of red, green and blue also reflect the site’s industrial heritage. Opened to students last September, urbanest Battersea features ensuite and studio accommodation and boasts a cinema room, gym and roof terraces with views across the city.

Rendering conventional heating systems unnecessary, the low-energy construction concept makes efficient use of the sun, internal heat sources and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. This allows for space heating and cooling related energy savings of up to 90% compared with typical buildings and over 75% compared to average new builds.

Having undergone stringent airtightness testing, the building was also designed with great attention to all relevant construction detail thus reducing thermal bridges as much as possible. High-performance opaque and transparent façade elements have been used in order to assure a comfortable interior environment. The building was also delivered to BREEAM 2018 Outstanding standard.