Zerokarb
Projects
This section
describes some of the key UK Level 6 housing projects, covering projects which
are completed, are under construction, and are planned.
COMPLETED
Crossways, Staplehurst, Kent
An
individual zero carbon house designed by its architect owner Richard Hawkes,
Crossways uses for its main structure a timbrel vault. This avoids the need for
embodied-energy intensive materials such as reinforced concrete, and has the
advantage of providing high thermal mass. Hawkes collaborated in the design with
Michael Ramage, from the University of Cambridge Department of Architecture.
Crossways uses a combination photovoltaic and thermal heating system, alongside
an 11kW biomass boiler. Crossways, which featured in the Channel 4 Grand Designs
programme, is described here.
Green House, BRE Innovation Park
The
Green House, a Code Level 6 house built by Barratts at the BRE Innovation Park,
is the first to be built there by a major housebuilder. Designed by architects
Gaunt Francis, it won the 2007 Home for the Future Design Award, run by the Mail
on Sunday, getting more than 22,000 votes. To achieve high thermal mass, the house is
constructed using aircrete concrete wall panels and pre-cast concrete floor
slabs. Clothes drying is achieved at the head of the stairs using warm air rising
through the house. The Green House is described
here.
Lighthouse, BRE Innovation Park
The Lighthouse house has been built
as a demonstration project at the Building Research Establishment's Innovation
Park at Garston, Hertfordshire. It has achieved Code Level 6. The house is timber
clad, using a timber portal structure, and structural insulated panels from Kingspan. It has a 40-degree roof which accommodates a photovoltaic array. The
design includes a rainwater recycling tank and a biomass wood pellet boiler. The
architects are Sheppard Robson, and the consulting engineers are Arup. The
Lighthouse house is described here.
Zedfactory homes, Upton
The
first open market housing to be built to Code Level 6 are six homes in Upton,
Northamptonshire, designed by Bill Dunster's company Zedfactory. Completed in
2009, the homes use the RuralZED system, which comprises a heavyweight timber
frame, with ceiling and wall linings made from eco-concrete to provide thermal
mass. Each home has a water harvesting tank, roof mounted photovoltaic panels,
solar thermal panels, and a biomass boiler for back-up. Zedfactory estimates
that the homes cost about 10% more to build than a conventional home. They are
described
here.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
CREO Apartment Building, BRE Innovation Park
The CREO Apartment Building is a four
storey social mixed use building, with ground floor Marks & Spencer shop, first
floor apartment, and duplex on second and third floors. It is designed to
achieve Level 6. Walls, floors and roof are constructed using Insulated Concrete
Formwork from Creo Prokoncepts. Expanded polystyrene (Neopor) hollow blocks lock
together, and concrete is then pumped into the cavities. The architects are MJP
Architects, and the consulting engineers are Pick Everard. The CREO Apartment
Building is described here.
An animated presentation, with fly-through, is
here.
Tarmac House, University of Nottingham
The Creative energy homes project at the University of Nottingham is a showcase
of six energy efficient homes, which will be monitored for their energy
performance in use. Tarmac are leading the construction of two homes, one of
which will be built to Code 6 standard. The 3 bed, 5 person semi-detached house
will be built of traditional masonry construction. The aim is to build a Code 6
house which can be mass produced, is visually appealing to the majority of
potential home owners, and is affordable to buy and maintain. The partners in
the project are the University of Nottingham, Tarmac, Lovell, Zed Factory, BSP
Consulting, and MP Building Assessors. The project is described
here.
PLANNED
Hanham Hall, Bristol
The Hanham
Hall project is the first of
the Homes & Communities Agency's four
Carbon
Challenge sites. Each involves a housing development, to Level 6, on a
brownfield site. The Hanham Hall project includes 200 homes, all with their
living accommodation facing south, in the grounds of a Grade II listed former
hospital. Construction is to be of structural insulated panels supplied by
Kingspan. Heating will be by a biomass combined heat and power plant. The
architects are HTA. The Hanham Hall project is described in a Building Design
article here.
South Bank, Peterborough
South Bank, Peterborough, is the second of the Homes & Community Agency's four
Carob Challenge sites. The development of 344 Level 6 homes will be undertaken
by Ppod, a consortium of Morris Homes, Gentoo Homes and the architects Browne
Smith Baker. There will be a 'green
spine' with orchards, allotments and canopy walkways, with 650 sqm of retail
floor space and 614 sqm of community space. There will be an edible garden, and
a community café that will sell locally produced goods. Energy will be
provided by a biomass Combined Heat and Power plant. The project is described
here.
________________________________________________________________
The Zerokarb website is published by MJP Architects, 9 Heneage Street, Spitalfields, London E1 5LJ. Tel: 020 7377 9262. Fax: 020 7247 7854. Email: mjp@mjparchitects.co.uk. Website: www.mjparchitects.co.uk. Director responsible for Housing: Duncan McKinnon.
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