The brief
Built from the ground it stands on — stone cut from a dormant quarry 900 metres away, laid by four masons over eleven months.
Site area
1.8 ha
Built area
620 m²
Levels
2
Structure
Load-bearing stone + CLT
Envelope
Local oolitic limestone
Certification
Passivhaus Classic
The constraint
Conservation officers required 100% local stone. The nearest active quarry had a 14-month lead time.
What we did
We reopened a dormant seam under licence, set up a cutting yard on site, and trained two apprentice masons for the programme.
The result
Zero stone haulage beyond 1 km. Passivhaus certified on first airtightness test at 0.4 ACH.
The quarry
Reopening a dormant seam was cheaper than waiting fourteen months for the nearest active quarry. We took a short licence, set a cutting yard on the plot itself, and trained two apprentice masons through the programme.
Envelope
Passivhaus was never a marketing target here — it was the only way to heat a solid stone house without a plant room. The wall build-up puts insulation inboard of the stone, with a service void that keeps the airtightness layer completely unpenetrated.
100% stone from 900 m away, zero haulage beyond 1 km
0.4 ACH at first airtightness test
Two apprentices trained and certified on site
The brief
Built from the ground it stands on — stone cut from a dormant quarry 900 metres away, laid by four masons over eleven months.
Site area
1.8 ha
Built area
620 m²
Levels
2
Structure
Load-bearing stone + CLT
Envelope
Local oolitic limestone
Certification
Passivhaus Classic
The constraint
Conservation officers required 100% local stone. The nearest active quarry had a 14-month lead time.
What we did
We reopened a dormant seam under licence, set up a cutting yard on site, and trained two apprentice masons for the programme.
The result
Zero stone haulage beyond 1 km. Passivhaus certified on first airtightness test at 0.4 ACH.
The quarry
Reopening a dormant seam was cheaper than waiting fourteen months for the nearest active quarry. We took a short licence, set a cutting yard on the plot itself, and trained two apprentice masons through the programme.
Envelope
Passivhaus was never a marketing target here — it was the only way to heat a solid stone house without a plant room. The wall build-up puts insulation inboard of the stone, with a service void that keeps the airtightness layer completely unpenetrated.
100% stone from 900 m away, zero haulage beyond 1 km
0.4 ACH at first airtightness test
Two apprentices trained and certified on site