sustainabilitynews edited by George Sell (
georgesell@mac.com)
Pavawall system used in South Shields carbon negative housing
Galliford Try Partnerships North has used Natural Building Technology’s (NBT) Pavawall system at its Sinclair Meadows development in South Shields. The 21-unit scheme is claimed to be the UK’s first carbon negative social housing community. The HCA-funded project is designed to exceed Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes by saving more carbon dioxide than it produces. The Pavawall system comprises a continuous layer of NBT’s woodfibre boards installed on the outside of the 220mm deep timber frame structures, with Pavaflex woodfibre batts installed between the studs, fully filling the space. The woodfibre boards feature tongue and groove edges to enhance the wind and airtightness of the walls. Internally, the Pavawall system is completed by the installation of OSB boards on the internal face of the timber frame, with airtightness tapes applied over the joints of the OSB boards. Plasterboard is installed over battens on the OSB racking and finished with a breathable paint. Externally the system is completed with a combination of natural lime render, applied directly to the wood fibre, and larch timber cladding. NBT says the Pavawall system is said to deliver a u-value of 0.14W/m2K. A community biomass boiler is used to provide heating and hot water to each individual dwelling, with 700 square metres of photovoltaic panels on the homes’ south- facing roofs powering the whole development. Galliford Try Partnerships has calculated that approximately 40 tonnes of carbon dioxide were produced during the construction of the development. The calculated design saving of the development is around 16 tonnes each year, meaning it will effectively cancel out the carbon emissions of the construction process in under three years.
Morgan Sindall appoints director of sustainability and procurement
Morgan Sindall Group has appointed Graham Edgell as director of sustainability and procurement. He has been group procurement director for more than a decade and for the past year he has chaired Morgan Sindall’s sustainability forum. During this time he has spearheaded many of the company’s recent sustainability initiatives, which have seen the group improve its Carbon Disclosure Project score, the highest in the construction industry, and be awarded a place on the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index. He has also been instrumental in supporting the establishment of the Supply Chain Sustainability School and in working with CIRIA to produce their guidance on sustainable procurement. Morgan Sindall chief executive, John Morgan, said: “I am delighted that Graham has accepted this position and as a group we look forward to optimising our cultural investment in sustainability and procurement.”
Forrest Green wins NW solar contract
Social housing regeneration specialist Forrest Green has been awarded a £1.6m deal to fit solar thermal installations on 252 Golden Gates Housing Trust properties across the north-west. Forrest Green has delivered several renewable initiatives for Golden Gates Housing Trust, having previously installed solar photovoltaic panels to more than 3,000 homes in its property portfolio. Neil Carroll, Forrest Green’s carbon reduction manager, said: “Although a relatively new technology, solar thermal installations are fast becoming an important environmental work stream as more housing providers look to introduce this technology as part of their carbon management plans. At Forrest, our specialist environmental team has been specifically established to provide tailored carbon abatement solutions, to help our clients reduce the energy bills and running costs and improve the living conditions for their tenants.”
Alliance launches Somerset zero carbon development
Alliance Homes has officially launched what it describes as North Somerset’s first zero carbon homes. The three-bedroom homes in Portishead were designed by Raj Architects, with a team of specialist consultants and the Alliance Homes development team, and were built by Halsall Construction. They have been built to Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, and are designed to produce more energy than they use through a combination of high insulation levels, triple glazed windows, photovoltaic panels for electricity and solar thermal heaters for hot water. Jon Hobbs, design and development manager at Alliance Homes, said: “We are proud to have been involved with North Somerset’s first zero carbon homes. It allows us to build on our low carbon expertise and further cements our position as a market leader in green energy. More importantly, the new development provides homes for local people that are cheap to run and future-proofed for generations to come.”
BRE begins heat loss research project
The Building Research Establishment (BRE) has been appointed by the Department of Energy & Climate Change to carry out a major two-year research project into heat loss in the seven million UK solid wall homes. The project will examine how solid walls perform
before and after insulation, as well as measuring the energy use behaviour of occupants and assessing the accuracy of techniques for measuring heat loss. It will include a series of laboratory tests and surveys on real homes. John Riley, BRE’s director of housing stock
performance, said: “Solid wall homes may be significant consumers of energy and this project will allow more accurate predictions of the energy consumption of these homes and identify the potential for energy savings from solid wall insulation.”
showhouseMay 2013 | 37
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