Energy Positive Family Home

June 16, 2026

Little Barn is a family home designed around Passive House principles to carefully fit within its conservation area setting, while creating a beautiful and exceptionally thermally efficient building.

Designed by Footprint Architects to replace a dilapidated existing dwelling on the site, Little Barn is set around two intersecting barn wings set at right angles to enclose large social spaces, an expansive lawn, natural swimming pool and sauna house. Triple-glazed windows and doors were strategically positioned to capture winter solar gains, while overhangs provide shading during warmer months to reduce overheating.

The home also features an open-corner lift and slide door design and built-in screens on several openings, allowing a fly-screen to be pulled across while leaving the doors open to ventilate the building.

The completed dwelling achieved:

Energy Rating A / SAP 105A
Primary Energy Use: -11 kWh/m²/year
Fabric Energy Efficiency: 51.3 kWh/m²
Operational emissions of -3.83 kgCO₂/m²
Air permeability: 0.65 m³/(h·m²) @ 50Pa

Footprint Architects is a RIBA chartered practice based in Bournemouth, Dorset. They are dedicated to creating high quality, refined and elegant design solutions.

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"All contact with the team has been great, answering questions and concerns promptly, survey was thoroughly carried out... and delivery & Installation went smoothly... We are so pleased we went with Norrsken, we love our windows/doors and cannot recommend them highly enough!"

Adrian

Homeowner

"I did my research before contacting Norrsken but they had come highly recommended by our Architect for our Passive House self build.

From the first meeting with Nick we felt confident that they were the Company for us."

Ali and Brian Manning

Homeowners

"Fantastic professional service, from the original design to the final installation. The triple-glazed windows and doors that have been fitted to our new house are of a very high quality and look amazing. We definitely made the right choice when we decided to use Norrsken, nothing is too much trouble for them."

Nigel

Homeowner

"Excellent Company from start to finish… If only every window supplier operated like this! I have used many others over the years on various projects but Norrsken far exceeded all of them… I hope this helps you make a decision for what is probably a large chunk of your budget… They are totally worth it"

Angela Smith

Homeowner

“From our very first interaction to the aftercare support, Norrsken has been exceptional. The quality of their windows is outstanding - beautifully designed, expertly crafted, and a real standout feature in our home. They've truly elevated the overall look and feel of the house.”

Neil Southwell

Self Builder Homeowner

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Modern interior with a large triple-glazed window showing a garden view

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Energy Positive Family Home

Little Barn is a family home designed around Passive House principles to carefully fit within its conservation area setting, while creating a beautiful and exceptionally thermally efficient building.

Products Used

Colours Used