It will be the largest residential PassivHaus project to be built to the German standard in this country.

To achieve this rating, properties at design stage must show high levels of insulation with minimal thermal bridges, good use of solar and internal heat gains.

The houses are built to be air tight, ventilated by a whole house mechanical ventilation system with efficient heat recovery.

The Chester Balmore scheme will provide mixed-tenure homes and additional commercial space in three separate blocks, the first new council housing in Camden for almost 30 years.

Work is due for completion in 2013 and alongside achieving the PassivHaus standard, the commercial element will be BREEAM ‘very good’.

Willmott Dixon Capital Works CEO John Frankiewicz said, “As the need to create ever more energy efficient housing to mitigate against the rise in fuel prices becomes more critical, so will the use of systems like PassivHaus become more common as the standard to deliver affordable energy housing.

“Camden is making a very imaginative and exciting statement on delivering low carbon housing that others will be watching closely.”

The London Borough of Camden worked with Rick Mather Architects to get the project through planning consent, with Rick Mather Architects retaining a ‘watching brief’ as Willmott Dixon work with the architect Architype, who will provide the detailed design during the construction phase.

This appointment for a ground breaking low carbon project follows another contract awarded earlier this year in North London that will see Willmott Dixon deliver the UK’s first zero carbon school at Crouch Hill Community Park.