Sean Ronnie Hill on Passive House Design and the Future of Low-Energy Buildings

 

The Green Impact Report

Quick take: Sean Ronnie Hill shares how his journey from a freezing, poorly built Belfast home to founding Rise Design Studio led to breakthrough insights on passive house principles, embodied carbon calculations, and the massive shift toward all-electric buildings—essential knowledge for green building professionals navigating today's sustainability landscape.

Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion

Sean Ronnie Hill is the Director and Architect at RISE Design Studio, a Sustainable & Regeneration Architect, Passivhaus Designer, Retrofit Expert, and Member of The Green Register, dedicated to creating better homes and spaces for a sustainable future.

As the founding director of RISE Design Studio (established in 2011), Sean brings over 20 years of experience from award-winning UK practices, including John McAslan + Partners, Arca, and Technē Architecture + Interior Design. Based in London with expansion into Barcelona, RISE specializes in residential architecture, listed building consent, conservation area projects, and community buildings.

Sean's design ethos centers on four key principles: design-led approach, commercial mindfulness, innovation, and sustainability. He's committed to nurturing the next generation of architects, having mentored at several UK universities, and believes in creating places that respond to contemporary challenges, including the climate crisis.

🌱Breaking Ground on Better Building

In this episode, Sean Ronnie Hill revolutionizes traditional construction approaches:

Key Insight #1: Passive House principles create ultimate comfort while achieving lowest energy consumption

• The Challenge: Traditional buildings leak energy through poor insulation, thermal bridges, and drafty construction—like Sean's childhood home where the family slept in sleeping bags indoors

• The Solution: Passive House design eliminates thermal bridges, maintains constant filtered fresh air, and creates super-insulated building envelopes that recover heat from exhaust air

• ROI: Buildings achieve near-zero energy consumption while providing optimal temperature control, eliminating cold spots, preventing mold growth, and delivering unmatched occupant comfort

Key Insight #2: The shift to all-electric buildings is accelerating beyond just environmental benefits

• The Challenge: Most London homes rely on gas for heating and hot water, creating carbon emissions and energy price volatility

• The Solution: Rise Design Studio now cuts gas connections entirely, implementing air source heat pumps and induction cooking in retrofit and new construction projects

• ROI: Clients gain energy independence from volatile gas markets (especially post-Ukraine war price spikes), reduce operational carbon, and future-proof their buildings against incoming regulations

Key Insight #3: Embodied carbon calculations are becoming essential for every design decision

• The Challenge: The industry focuses on operational energy while ignoring the massive carbon footprint embedded in materials—every brick, beam, and insulation board carries significant carbon storage

• The Solution: Rise collaborates with structural engineers using software that calculates embodied carbon for timber, steel, and concrete structures, while exploring natural materials through partnerships like ACAN (Architects Climate Action Network)

• ROI: Clients receive comprehensive carbon impact data for informed material choices, preparing for future building permit requirements that will mandate total carbon planning beyond just operational efficiency

Sustainable Soundbite

"More and more clients are wanting to be aware and they want to make sure that whatever work that they do…that the building be able to perform sustainably in terms of its operational energy, but also longevity." – Sean Ronnie Hill

Your Green Building Action Plan

Transform your next project with these steps:

1. This Week: Assess your current projects for thermal bridge elimination opportunities. Start conversations with structural engineers about embodied carbon calculations for your next design.

2. This Quarter: Develop a client presentation template that explains the comfort benefits of passive house principles alongside energy savings. Begin researching air source heat pump solutions for your regional climate.

3. This Year: Partner with structural engineers who can provide embodied carbon data for material selections. Explore natural material suppliers in your area and consider pursuing passive house training or certification.

Connect & Learn More

• 🌿 Connect with Sean Ronnie Hill: LinkedIn

• 🗒️ Read the transcript here

• 🏢 Visit RISE Design Studio: Website

• 📚 Recommended reading: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

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