Paragraph 84e Mineral House

Mineral House, Fall Hill Quarry

Ashover, Derbyshire

Client: Private

Architect & Landscape Designer: FPCR Environment & Design Ltd

Sustainability Consultant: Ecospheric Ltd

Certification Target: Passivhaus Plus

Planning Route: Paragraph 84e (NPPF)

Status: Planning Consent Granted

A New Elevated Living Strata

Carved into the dramatic landscape of a disused fluorite quarry in the Derbyshire countryside, Mineral House embodies the synthesis of geology, ecology, and architectural innovation. Conceived under Paragraph 84e of the National Planning Policy Framework, the project aspires to deliver a truly outstanding dwelling of national significance—one that both celebrates and safeguards the extraordinary geological setting of the Fall Hill Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Ecospheric were appointed to lead the sustainability, energy, and carbon strategy, setting the brief for a ‘True Zero Carbon’ dwelling designed and modelled to achieve Passivhaus Plus certification. The scheme demonstrates how a family home can operate as an energy-positive, low-impact building—producing more than twice its own energy demand while enhancing biodiversity and local resilience.

Design Philosophy

The project’s vision—“A New Elevated Living Strata”—emerges directly from the quarry’s rich geology and mineral seams. FPCR’s landscape-led approach positions the dwelling as a light intervention within the landform, nestling the architecture into existing terraces and using reclaimed quarry stone and relocated boulders to blur distinctions between built form and terrain.

Ecospheric’s technical contribution centred on the optimisation of this architectural concept through a full passive design hierarchy, employing Dynamic Simulation Modelling (DSM), PHPP, and whole-life carbon analysis to inform every design decision—from glazing orientation to shading geometry and material specification.