Who carried out the joinery works at North End Shipyard Visitor Centre in Hull?

CJ Joinery Contracts delivered a £365,000 joinery and drylining package for main contractor Ashcourt Group.

What work did CJ Joinery complete at North End Shipyard?

CJ Joinery installed major elements of the timber-frame structure, roof and wall insulation, vapour-control and airtightness membranes, drylining, ceilings, engineered timber flooring, internal doorsets, ironmongery, skirtings and window boards.

What airtightness result did North End Shipyard achieve?

The building achieved 0.47 ACH at 50 Pa, compared with the Passivhaus maximum of 0.6 ACH at 50 Pa.

Was this CJ Joinery's first Passivhaus project?

Yes. The project required the team to quickly develop practical experience in airtightness, insulation, membrane detailing and timber-frame construction.

Case Study / Heritage

North End Shipyard Visitor Centre, Hull

Q: Was North End Shipyard built to Passivhaus standards?

Yes. The visitor centre achieved full Passivhaus certification in 2025 and became the UK's first Passivhaus-certified museum.

Hull, East Yorkshire

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Heritage

At a glance

CJ Joinery Contracts worked with Ashcourt Group on the new North End Shipyard Visitor Centre in Hull, delivering a technically demanding joinery and drylining package as part of the wider Hull Maritime regeneration programme. The scheme became the UK's first Passivhaus-certified museum and achieved an airtightness result of 0.47 ACH @ 50 Pa, comfortably better than the Passivhaus limit of 0.6 ACH @ 50 Pa.

Main Contractor: Ashcourt Group
Client: Hull City Council
Architect / Passivhaus Designer: Purcell
Location: Hull, East Yorkshire
Sector: Heritage / Cultural / Passivhaus
Wider Project Value: Approx. £7.5m forecast outturn for North End Shipyard Visitor Centre & Dry Dock works
CJ Joinery Package: £365,000
Project Type: New Visitor Centre / Heritage Regeneration
CJ Package: Mixed - supply & install, with labour-only installation of the main timber structure, insulation and timber framework
Completion: 2025

Project overview

The North End Shipyard Visitor Centre was developed by Hull City Council as part of the wider Hull Maritime programme and provides a permanent visitor and learning facility alongside the restored Arctic Corsair, Hull's last surviving sidewinder trawler.

The building was designed by Purcell to the Passivhaus standard, combining a flood-resilient concrete ground floor with an insulated timber-frame upper structure.

For CJ Joinery, the project was particularly significant because it was the team's first Passivhaus project. The strict requirements around insulation, airtightness, membranes and construction interfaces created a steep learning curve, but the team adapted quickly and successfully delivered the package.

Key figures

£365k
CJ Joinery package: Approx. £7.5m
Wider North End Shipyard Visitor Centre & Dry Dock works: 0.47 ACH @ 50 Pa
Achieved airtightness: 1,232m²
400mm roof wood-fibre insulation: 846m²
300mm wall wood-fibre insulation: Approx. 21
Internal doorsets: 14
Timber side panels installed: 2
Gable ends installed: UK first
Passivhaus-certified museum

Scope of Works

Scope of works

CJ Joinery delivered a mixed package of supply-and-install works together with labour-only installation of the principal timber structure, insulation and timber framing.

Labour-only installation of the principal timber-frame structure
Installation of sole plates, 14 timber side panels and 2 gable ends
Installation of the timber roof structure, roof noggins, splice plates and structural plywood
1,232m² of 400mm wood-fibre roof insulation
846m² of 300mm wood-fibre wall insulation
50mm wood-fibre sarking boards
PIR insulation to timber rafters and wall studs
Vapour-control layers, membranes, tapes and associated airtightness detailing
I-joist first-floor and loft construction
Drylining, plasterboarding, suspended and acoustic ceilings, dot-and-dab wall linings, plastering and skimming
Engineered timber flooring
Supply and installation of approximately 21 internal doorsets and ironmongery
Skirtings, window boards and numerous additional works and variations

The Challenge

The challenge

The biggest challenge was delivering CJ Joinery's first project to the demanding Passivhaus standard. The building envelope relied on extremely high levels of insulation and airtightness, meaning the quality of every junction, membrane, fixing and interface was critical.

CJ Joinery's team had to quickly develop a strong understanding of Passivhaus construction while maintaining the required quality and programme.

Our Approach

Our approach

The team worked closely with Ashcourt and the wider design team to understand the specialist details and adapt working methods as the project progressed.

Correct installation of thick wood-fibre insulation build-ups
Continuity of vapour-control and airtightness membranes
Careful detailing around timber-frame junctions
Minimising uncontrolled penetrations through the airtight layer
Responding quickly to design changes and additional works
Supporting the project team during airtightness testing

Although Passivhaus construction was new to CJ Joinery, the site team rose to the challenge and became increasingly experienced in the specialist requirements as the project progressed.

Airtightness performance

The completed building achieved an airtightness result of 0.47 air changes per hour at 50 Pa, comfortably inside the Passivhaus requirement of no more than 0.6 ACH @ 50 Pa.

CJ Joinery understands the result to be among the strongest achieved on a commercial Passivhaus project in the UK. The result was particularly significant given this was CJ Joinery's first Passivhaus project.

Outcome

CJ Joinery successfully completed its package and made a major contribution to achieving the building's required airtightness and thermal-performance standards.

The project achieved full Passivhaus certification in 2025 and became the UK's first Passivhaus-certified museum.

For CJ Joinery, North End Shipyard demonstrated that an experienced commercial joinery team could successfully adapt to a highly technical low-energy construction standard, solve unfamiliar detailing challenges and deliver the required performance.