Winner of RSUA Design Award 2025 – Silver Bark House!

Thanks to all at The Royal Society of Ulster Architects for an fabulous night – such a well-run, enjoyable night.

We are delighted!

RSUA judges commented:

“Silver Bark House is both modest and ambitious. As a piece of architecture, it’s modest in the way that it resists any grand gestures, any extravagant artifice. Instead, it concentrates its efforts on the careful making of a set of relaxed domestic spaces within a simple building envelope”

“Silver Bark House, outside Hillsborough, by Marshall McCann Architects was awarded the Sustainability Award for its ambitious reduction of operational energy requirements and for keeping the embodied carbon from its construction to an absolute minimum.”

Every year the The Royal Society of Ulster Architects, along with QUB, UU & willing architects practices take architecture students on a Professional Insights Programme.

This year, Roisin was asked to give a short talk to the students at the close of the programme.

Given the topic of ‘interaction between client & architect’, it’s Roisin’s specialist subject – something she is passionate about.

For us, this is the key to our success. Creating a good working environment: an environment where everybody has a say, asks questions, has fun and enjoys the process.

Marshall McCann invest time just getting to know our clients; what makes you tick; making it easier for us to understand how you want your house to look & feel. Clients also feel like they can be honest with us.

We keep our clients informed, manage expectations, have integrity; so you trust us to create your vision for you. And instilling this into young student architects is a great thing to be involved in.

The Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland (RIAI) have published a document – ‘RIAI 2030 Climate Challenge – An Architect’s Guide‘.

This document sets out the guiding principles in what we, as architects, should be aiming for in terms of reducing carbon and energy use in buildings and why architects should sign up for this challenge.

It also discusses why you – as clients – should strive for the 2030 Climate Challenge and the benefits to you / the end-user; ie lower running costs, leaner design, less waste sets you up for future legislation, better biodiversity and less pressure on water infrastructure.

The 2030 Climate Challenge document sets out ways in which architects and clients can get started on this lower energy, lower carbon journey, and how to sign up for it.

It also proudly features our ‘Silver Bark House‘, which exceeds RIAI 2030 Climate Challenge in both operation energy & embodied carbon.  We are delighted for our house to be ‘the face’ of 2030.  Have a read!

CLIENT TESTIMONIAL:

“After our initial introduction to Roisin & Martin, we immediately knew we had found the architects we were looking for as they demonstrated an instant rapport, genuine curiosity and a truly collaborative approach.

Straightaway Roisin was able to gain an understanding of our individual and family lifestyle to craft a home not just for the present but well into the future. Key to this was Roisin’s capability to capture the details of our vision into a design that reflects our family and importantly compliments the local environment.

Embracing the views that our site offers was a priority for us and Roisin was able to provide a tailored design to maximise the beautiful scenery as well as allowing light to flow to ensure a bright main living space.

A crucial aspect of the process was to optimise space to ensure each room and area served a purpose with Roisin guiding the design to ensure that rooms could be multi-functional to evolve with our needs.

We really appreciated the guidance around materials taking into account various price points, Roisin provided all the information we needed to make informed decisions without forcing her opinion on us, rather guiding and coaching us to come to the decision that met our needs.

Our favourite aspect of the project was seeing our vision brought to reality, but even better than we could ever have expected.

If anyone is considering working with Marshall McCann you won’t be disappointed as you’ll find an ambitious, skilled and visionary architect who will help you execute your dream home.”

Michael & Dearbhla.

Roisin McCann gave a talk on ‘My Architecture: Designing a Better Future, Together’ to her fellow architects at the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA)

She discussed Marshall McCann’s values, vision, philosophies, and the ideas and concepts behind some of her work; as well as where Marshall McCann, as a practice, are moving forward to.

Watch the presentation here.

‘Fabric First’ is a great mantra….but we don’t agree.

As Passive House architects, this may be surprising.

And before we get lynched by all the Passive House purists, hear us out.

It is not fabric first, it is design first, fabric second.

The importance of design on where we live, work and play (yeah, like the Mars bar ad…) has a profound impact on our quality of life. The saying goes that we are a product of our friends, our environment.  And that includes our built environment.

Studies have shown that a well-designed hospital can speed up recovery times. Meaning the better the hospital environment (light, air quality, thermal comfort, even the colour of paint on the walls) the quicker you improve.

Imagine the benefits in your own home or place of work. Potentially better productivity, increased happiness, and all-around improved comfort.

In Passive House design, this also means designing your home, your building, so that you harness the solar energy, without overheating.

So you get the built form, the design right – which includes Passive House principles – before the fabric.

If you are thinking of designing, or renovating, your house or building; have a chat with us to see what value we can bring to your project.

Avoid these common pitfalls when designing your dream home!

Building a sustainable home is more than just good intentions—it’s about making smart, informed decisions from the outset. Here are three mistakes to steer clear of:

1. Treating Passive House Principles as an Afterthought
   Thinking you can simply “bolt on” Passive House principles later? Think again. While it’s possible to adapt designs during planning, the most cost-effective and efficient way is to integrate Passive House principles from day one. Harnessing free solar energy can lower insulation needs—and your overall build costs. Sun energy is free energy. But beware, too much sun can lead to overheating. See point 2….
2. Falling in Love with Too Much Glazing
   We all love the idea of floor-to-ceiling windows that flood our homes with natural light and offer breathtaking views. But as Passive House architects, too much glazing makes us shudder. Possibly with a heat induced rage. It’s amazing to have views and connections to the outside – which we whole-heartedly agree with – but, too much glass can lead to overheating, defeating the purpose of a comfortable, energy-efficient home. Yes, sun shading can help, but it also adds to your costs. Trust your architect when they say, “less is more.”
3. Overlooking the Importance of Thermal Bridging
   Ok, so most of you, non-architectural people probably don’t know what thermal bridging is. To be fair, it’s not the most riveting of subjects, but it is crucial for keeping your home warm and your energy bills low. The good news? Preventing thermal bridging is more about precise detailing and quality workmanship than expensive solutions. Rely on an experienced, certified, Passive House architect to get it right.

Make sure your energy-efficient home is truly efficient—work with experienced Passive House architects experts who know how to make your vision a reality. Get in touch if you would like to discuss your home.

Insulation, is not the answer, STOP getting hung up on lowering U-Values, this is NOT the most IMPORTANT element when it comes to reducing energy bills.

A strange notion coming from Passive House architects, I hear you say.

After getting the design right ie orientation, solar shading, what is the most important element?

Having ‘grown up’ in the industry during the rise of energy efficiency, we thought increased insulation = increased energy efficiency = warmer building.

And this is true.  To an extent. But it will cost you more to highly insulate your building.  And likely cause overheating – which then causes its own problems, where we may need air conditioning, which means more energy use.

When designing a passive house, insulation and u-values are the last thing we consider spending money on.

The most important element to get right in your building could also be the most cost-effective.

Airtightness.  And the bonus? It doesn’t cost much to get right; just careful detailing, workmanship and understanding by those on site.

Think about it: Have you ever been to Spain, or somewhere, and it is really hot? Then a nice breeze comes along and cools you down. This is what draughts do in your home; cools you down.  Which results in less thermal comfort, your building feeling colder, which often leads to complaints of cold, and subsequent turning up of the heat.

We recently re-calculated 3 of our passive houses, changing only the airtightness; changing the airtightness to Northern Ireland regulations. This increased the heating demand by 430%. In reality, the increase in heating costs will likely be higher due to the draughts. Not addressing the airtightness is like leaving a window open all year round!!

An important side note: with airtightness comes the need for MVHR; otherwise you are creating problems.

Feel free to get in touch if we can be of help.

Our Matsu House has been published in the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) magazine, ‘Living Design’.

Article is written by our own Roisin McCann; who explains the thought process, the difficulties, and the design decisions which make this house beautiful.

This contemporary development house, now sold, is an upside down house, with the main living accommodation on the first floor, and bedrooms on the lower floor.  The living room takes advantage of the magnificent views over the canopy of trees, Belfast city, and mountain beyond.

Read the article here: Living Design Marshall McCann – Matsu House