industry news 9 HBSP


Home Building Skills Partnership starts work T


he Home Building Skills Partnership (HBSP) board has met for its inaugural session beginning a programme intended


to attract and train tens of thousands of new workers to the sector. Headed by Redrow Homes CEO, John Tutte,


the partnership consists of a group of leaders from across the housebuilding industry including the Home Builders Federation (HBF). Over the next four years, the HBSP pro-


grammes will aim to engage with more than 3,500 companies, more than 40,000 workers and around 180 colleges and training providers, in its


ECO CREDENTIALS


Redrow partners with heat recovery firm to cut carbon


housebuilder’s national trade specification in a move designed to save energy, reduce carbon emissions and keep heating bills down. Waste Water Heat Recovery works by recover-


R


ing heat from outgoing waste hot water, lost during showering, and uses it to heat incoming fresh water. It can save a property between 300 kg-


THE URBAN HOUSE


three or four-bedroom home adaptable to chang- ing lifestyles. Berkeley has labelled the Urban House as a “fifth category of home, distinct from the detached, semi-detached, terraced or apart- ment properties homeowners currently know.” The Urban House has been designed in


Berkeley’s offsite solution for urban density B


erkeley Homes has launched what it is claiming to be a new modular offsite housing concept for modern living –a


low-rise living combined with high density, with a ‘back-to-back’ design. This enables twice as many homes to be built compared to traditional terraced housing, maximising land use without the need for tall buildings, says Berkeley, while still retaining privacy for its residents and maintaining a typical street appearance. The developer commented: “The building ele-


response to the need for “high quality housing built at a density that can sustain communities while accommodating the country’s growing pop- ulation,” says the firm. It is thought to be the first time a major developer has designed and delivered its own housing typology and it has spent 10 years refining the design, for which there is a patent cur- rently pending. The Urban House concept addresses the need


vation can take any form, incorporating bay windows, or contemporary and traditional ele- ments to respond to the local vernacular and fit into existing streetscapes.” Berkeley added: “With ever-changing and


increasing demands on the construction process to meet environmental challenges, the design of the house can also be adapted to the latest con- struction and build methodology.” Flexibility has been incorporated into the


edrow Homes has joined forces with waste water heat recovery firm Power- pipe, adding its systems to the


1000 kg of carbon dioxide emissions per year. It is also one of the most cost-effective tech-


nologies that can be used to boost a home’s energy efficiency performance within the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) calcula- tion, which is required to pass Building Regulations. On average, installing a waste water heat recov-


ery unit will save a household 10 per cent a year on its annual energy bills or 500 kWh per person.


In a typical home, this could equate to a cost sav- ing of between £80 and £100. Redrow Homes Group technical manager,


Jonathan Moss commented: “As well as the con- sumer benefits, from an operational perspective adding Power-Pipe to our trade specification will also provide us with the ideal solution for some of our properties.” He addded: “This is because of its cost-effec- tivity and generous SAP rating, which will assist


us with reducing CO2 emissions, and achieving compliance with Building Regulations on certain house types.” Waste water heat recovery is relatively new to


the UK and started appearing in homes around 2009, although it's been used in Canada and cer- tain parts of Europe for the last 15 years.


quest to give the industry the workforce it needs to boost housing supply. The partnership will focus on attracting new entrants into the sector and applying targeted training. The board, which comprises of representatives


from housebuilders, training and trade bodies and warranty providers, will guide the partner- ship, defining its operational parameters and priorities. The board will also supervise the recruitment of a dedicated team to carry forward initiatives on a day to day basis. HBSP board chairman Tutte explained: “The housebuilding industry is totally committed to


increasing output and meeting the housing needs of the country. The partnership will help us attract and train the people we need to deliver more high quality homes in the coming years. The broad experience of the board we have recruited will help us put in place the building blocks we need to succeed in this.” Among other tasks set out for the partnership,


the HBSP aims to develop and improve the pub- lic image for housebuilding, and increase productivity and the “value added per employee,” while improving the relevance and quality of industry training.


Urban House design, via a volumetric system. This offers fully fitted, site-ready house compo- nents, factory-built and customised to satisfy homeowners’ needs. Offsite construction also provides faster build times and reduced costs, with modular, pod or panelled framed systems which can be used alongside traditional construc- tion methods. Berkeley believes that the Urban House will


provide the flexibility of design needed for mod- ern lifestyles. Fully compliant with Lifetime Homes criteria the developer says it is also capable of simple adaptations, which can accommodate changes in occupants’ mobility, family size and housing needs over the years. The Urban House can also be built to provide


a mix of private and affordable housing of different tenures.


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