PROJECT REPORT: ICF BUILD
33
He advises others in a similar situation to “get in touch with planners as early on as possible” to tackle such problems collaboratively: “It’s about having dialogue, working with them as much as possible. You’ve got to submit something that any rational person can look at and go ‘yes I can see that if we can make a few changes here, I’ll be happy with it.’”
Fire With plans finally approved and demolition about to start, yet another challenge reared its head. Hall received an agitated midnight phone call from the neighbours, informing them their soon-to- be demolished Victorian cottage had caught fire, and the flames had damaged the neighbours’ shed. At this point, Hall was starting to think that the project may be jinxed. Fortunately, the damage needing to be covered was minimal due to the planned demolition. Arson was initially suspected, or “a freak accident,” says Hall. The Fire Service speculated that with it being a particularly hot summer nearby compost could have self-ignited, although Rik is sceptical about this theory!
Another positive outcome was that the team managed to salvage all the bricks from the cottage and sell them to a local merchant. “Where we could, we reused and recycled any materials that were on site,” explains Hall.
Construction
After overcoming all the challenges, the build finally got underway in April 2018. The external envelope is somewhat unusual for this type of domestic project, being of insulated concrete forming (ICF) – hollow EPS blocks reinforced with steel beams and filled with concrete, offering high thermal performance.
Thermohouse UK supplied and installed the ICF frame, providing a “one-stop shop” solution. The shell was completed very quickly, taking eight weeks. “All we had to do was put in the windows and get the roof up,” says Hall. He says it’s a particularly useful option for such ‘self-builds,’ freeing up the programme from traditional construction methods. “You can get the structure up, and then tender out the various pieces of work. It’s a lot more manageable.”
ADF JUNE 2021
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
The overall goal was two generously-sized, desirable family homes, “not just 12-metre boxes for five people”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84