Greenhaus: How ECF and Salix Homes made sustainable and affordable living possible

At Salix Homes, one of Salford’s largest social housing providers, we are committed to delivering high-quality, sustainable and affordable homes for residents across the city. We recognise that meeting this ambition cannot be delivered in isolation, but with the support and backing of partners who share our values and ethos.

At Greenhaus, we have worked together with ECF deliver against this mission while setting a new benchmark for what can be achieved through collaboration and innovation. As part of ECF’s £1bn, 50-acre Salford Central regeneration, Greenhaus represents the power of partnership working as we made sustainable and affordable living accessible in the city.

A partnership built on shared values

Working in partnership with other organisations is crucial to our work. Whether delivering quality affordable housing or providing a range of local projects and initiatives that benefit the wider community, we are proud to work with a variety of organisations to support our communities.

We therefore embraced the opportunity to partner with ECF and to pool our collective expertise and resources to deliver something transformational for Salford at Greenhaus.

Here, we wanted to deliver against a shared belief that sustainable, low-cost living shouldn’t be reserved for a limited few, but be accessible to everyone. This would mean lower energy bills for residents, comfortable and healthier living environments, and lower carbon emissions from daily life.

At the same time, we believed that these homes should also be a great place to live and a place where a community could be nurtured to thrive. This includes access to green spaces, quality communal areas, and design principles which would bring people together.

Pushing the boundary of possibility

However, we wanted to truly push the boundary of possibility and, in response, set ourselves the target of achieving Passivhaus certification – the highest standard of energy efficiency.

Backed by our shared vision and values, in 2020, Salix Homes and ECF embarked on our journey to deliver against this ambition, alongside our principal contractor Eric Wright Construction

We understood that this would be a shared learning curve and one where we would need to navigate and overcome new challenges, together.

The rigour of Passivhaus meant that we had to adopt new technologies and navigate the highest level of scrutiny. From new ventilation and heat recovery systems to millimetre-specific insulation requirements, we learned and adapted to the challenge.

It wasn’t just the resources needed to meet the additional costs of the certification which was crucial, but the expertise in construction and sustainability. Meeting this challenge was only possible due to the strength of the partnership we created and nurtured.

A new benchmark

As a result of our shared vision and the strength of our partnership, we achieved our ambition, with all 96 homes securing Passivhaus certification. The scale of Greenhaus also meant that we had delivered the largest collection of such homes in the North West of England – creating a new benchmark for what is possible in the region.

The impact of Greenhaus is clear. For many, moving into a Greenhaus home has been life-changing – they are living in homes that are energy-efficient, comfortable, and most importantly, affordable homes. Residents have told us how quiet and comfortable their homes are, creating a vital foundation to thrive individually and as a community.

This new neighbourhood is also symbolic of Salix Homes’ and ECF’s belief that good housing is the foundation for a happier, healthier more cohesive community. Salix Homes and ECF have given people a platform to build thriving lives, starting from the most important place – the home.

The importance of collaboration

The key learning from our work at Greenhaus has been the importance of true collaboration. We couldn’t have done this alone.

ECF brought not only the funding, alongside our own investment, but also the expertise in construction and sustainability that helped us push boundaries. The team at Eric Wright Construction were also integral to the success of Greenhaus, fully understanding and embracing the demands of Passivhaus accreditation and sharing our commitment to its successful delivery.  Together, we have proven that affordable, sustainable housing isn’t just achievable, but it is possible to deliver at scale.

This should serve as a model for success for the wider sector, and inspiration that affordable and sustainable housing can be delivered at scale right across the country.

As Salix Homes looks ahead to our next major development at Peru Street, where we are currently building a further 100 affordable, Passivhaus certified homes alongside ECF, we are embedding the lessons and approach of Greenhaus to continue delivering transformative developments to benefit our communities.