291: Beyond Carbon: Transforming UK Housing with Passive House

291: Beyond Carbon: Transforming UK Housing with Passive House

From Passive House Podcast by Matthew Cutler-Welsh, Zack Semke, Mary James, and Ilka Cassidy

June 9, 2026 · 55 min · Season 5 · Episode 291

About this episode

The episode discusses scaling certified Passive House delivery in London with insights from Joel Callow of Beyond Carbon.

In this episode of the Passive House Podcast, Mary James and Ilka Cassidy speak with Joel Callow, building physicist and founding director of UK consultancy Beyond Carbon, about scaling certified Passive House delivery in London. Callow explains the firm’s focus on whole life carbon, compact building forms, overheating avoidance, and early-stage design input, and notes the team has grown to 12 people with recruitment challenges as UK training ramps up via the Passive House Trust. He describes Beyond Carbon’s role in helping major developer Barratt adopt Passive House—through lobbying, 12–18 months of R&D, and cost and constructability work—leading to thousands of units in the pipeline and an estimated 15–20,000 London dwellings in progress. https://www.beyondcarbon.uk/ Thank you for listening to the Passive House Podcast! To learn more about Passive House and to stay abreast of our latest programming, visit passivehouseaccelerator.com. And please join us at one of our Passive House Accelerator LIVE! zoom gatherings on Wednesdays.

People in this episode

Hosts: Mary James, Ilka Cassidy

Guest: Joel Callow

Topics covered

  • Passive House
  • UK housing
  • carbon reduction
  • building design
  • sustainability

Keywords

  • Passive House
  • UK housing
  • carbon
  • building physicist
  • sustainability
  • design
  • Barratt

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Beyond Carbon, Passive House Trust, Barratt

Places: UK, London

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