Low-Impact Co-Living Home in a Protected Woodland

The Seed is a small-scale co-living Passivhaus designed by Kirsty Maguire Architect Ltd and located within a woodland garden near Dundee. The project replaces a derelict dwelling that was dismantled and largely reused within the new construction and landscape works. The building is conceived as a shared home for two households, balancing communal and private spaces while minimising both operational and embodied carbon. The primary structure is an off-site manufactured timber I-joist frame supplied as a prefabricated kit and insulated with recycled cellulose and wood fibre insulation. This bio-based envelope is combined with vapour-permeable internal finishes including clay plasters and timber linings to regulate internal humidity and improve indoor comfort. The building sits on steel screw-pile foundations, eliminating most concrete and allowing construction within a protected woodland site without damaging mature tree roots. Externally the building is finished with Scottish timber cladding and a recyclable zinc roof, chosen for durability and low maintenance. The project achieves Passivhaus Classic certification and meets RIBA 2030 embodied carbon benchmarks while maintaining modest operational energy demand.