SUSTAINABILITY

Be fi rst to see eco social housing project >

Eco-houses are too often the stuff of Grand Designs or private sector clients,

but with much of the existing social housing stock suffering from minimal or no insulation, combined with spiralling energy costs, hefty fuel bills often impact hardest on people who can least afford it.

In Coventry and Warwickshire a new collaborative project is assessing the effects of building social housing to the UK Code Level 6 and German Passivhaus standards for sustainable construction, by designing and constructing a pair of detached houses, each built to one of the standards. Beattie Passive has constructed the houses

for Orbit Homes using its Passive Build System. CIOB members can get a fi rst-hand look at the completed project on 10 October. To go and see the build in person contact Georgina Floyd on gfl oyd@ciob.org.uk or 0845 072 2366.

Find out more about the project at www.beattiepassive.com

SITE VISIT

NOVUS HEADS BACK TO LIBRARY STUDY

NOVUS NORTH WEST VISITS MANCHESTER TOWN HALL COMPLEX TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME

Novus North West visited the Manchester Town Hall Complex Transformation Programme during the summer to see progress on this four-year programme by Laing O’Rourke, which involves the Central Library, the Town Hall extension and St Peter’s Square. Graham Fenton, project manager at Laing

O’Rourke, explained how 3D models developed by the company’s in-house BIM team helped to speed up the approvals process with English Heritage for both grade II-listed buildings. In this second visit, Novus North West members were shown the core, including a staircase and scenic lifts, a new exhibition area and the large dome, which had been acoustically sprayed after complex asbestos removal. The basement provides environmentally controlled storage for the library’s books and archives. The council’s aim was to make 70% of the building’s space accessible to the public with only 30% back of house — it was previously the other way around.

“The improvements made in construction safety over the past 10 years have been a real success story for the UK. Long may it continue. We’re always looking to improve the way we build. The London Olympics, with zero fatalities, was fantastic, and shows what can be done. We’ve all learned from it.” Mark Starling MCIOB Kier

The Passivhaus standard for social housing is being sampled in the west midlands

£750

THE PRIZE UP FOR GRABS IN THE

MASTERS DISSERTATION CATEGORY IN THE INNOVATION AND RESEARCH AWARDS. ENTRIES MUST BE IN BY 22 NOVEMBER. SEE: IANDRAWARDS.CIOB.ORG/AWARD- CATEGORIES/MASTERS

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