HPH383: A beginner's guide to creating a comfortable home – with Andy Mitchell

Andy Mitchell, Managing Director of 21 Degrees, explains what factors influence human comfort and how we have tried to make our homes more comfortable through the years. Embracing building physics has been a turning point and while we have the knowledge and skills to create healthy and comfortable homes today, it's still not the default approach. So Andy outlines the options available to get yourself into a better home. Check out the show notes for more information.

Ben Nother, a Director at Hawkland Group, explains the two different roles of Principal Designer in meeting building regulations and addressing CDM health and safety. He also reflects on how this has been integrated into their processes. Check out the show notes for more information.

Phil Neve explains what Passivhaus Premium is and why he chose to target the standard for his own self build in Somerset. He also talks through his biggest project challenge, which was obtaining planning permission to build in open countryside. Check out the show notes for more information.

Heather Johnson from AD Practice explains what Passivhaus Plus is, how it differs from Passivhaus Classic accreditation and what benefits achieving the standard will afford. She also reveals why most of her clients target 'Plus' and outlines the steps to achieve this on a project. Check out the show notes for more information.

Stephanie Kyle from Floyd Slaski Architects explains how we can design for disability, gender, religion, and anything that’s considered a protected characteristic under the Equality Act. She also highlights the biggest challenge of inclusive design which is people’s differing needs, and suggests how we best go about designing spaces. Check out the show notes for more information.

Guy Harris from AccessiblePRS explains why accessible housing is important, what the key considerations are and how to deliver it well. He also shares his experience of designing his own house as a wheelchair user. Check out the show notes for more information.

Toby Cambray talks about the experience of working on his own retrofit project, and the lessons learnt in the process. Check out the show notes for more information.

Toby Cambray talks about the risks associated with moisture in buildings, and the modelling techniques – like WUFI® – that can be used to assess those risks. Check out the show notes for more information.

Mike Whitfield shares his experience of running a local construction company that specialises in Passivhaus. He explains how the business is structured, and what tasks are tackled on a daily and weekly basis. Check out the show notes for more information.

Mike Eliason talks about his book, Building for People, and the massive opportunity we have to create better places through being more intentional and thoughtful. Check out the show notes for more information.