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Eco show homes springing up at BRE

Posted: 17/05/2007

Construction companies from the UK and overseas have been designing homes which can be both built affordably and conform to The Code for Sustainable Homes, launched in April 2007. The code provides a means of assessing the sustainablity credentials of new homes for energy, water, materials, waste, pollution and other issues. The prototypes will be available for viewing at BRE's 'Offsite' exhibition during the summer.

Companies such as Kingspan and Stewart Milne are aiming to conform to the two top levels of the Code, Level 6 and Level 5 respectively.

Kingspan say their two-bedroom ‘LightHouse' will demonstate high levels of efficiency in terms of construction methods, energy use, CO2 emissions and carbon footprint and is being designed in line with Lifetime Homes and Scheme Development Standards (SDS). Every building material and component used in the design has been specified to optimise the building's overall sustainability credentials.

A highly insulating, airtight building fabric has been developed to provide generous daylight levels. This includes effective solar control and integrated building services based around a platform of sustainable technologies covering water efficiency, renewable energy technology, passive cooling and ventilation, as well as mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR).

The Stewart Milne Group are specifically aiming to show that sustainability is commercially viable in mass produced housing. Leading-edge in design and highly energy efficient, their house demonstrates renewable energy technologies, use of superior insulation and a speedy build process.

It has open plan interiors with terraces at upper levels to maximise outdoor space in urban environments. Glenn Allison, MD of Stewart Milne Group, said: "The single biggest impact on our business will be climate change and we felt we should take an industry lead by building a commercially viable house that reflected the Government's objective to achieve zero carbon houses within a decade."

BRE's exhibition will also feature 4 other houses from developers Hanson, Osborne, eco-TECH and Spaceover respectively which are all highly sustainable and affordable examples of mass produced housing.

A sustainable school of the future from Willmott Dixon's consultancy arm Re-Thinking will also be unveiled.

BRE will be evaluating the design of each of the demonstration houses against the CSH. As these are demonstration buildings, rather than homes that will be lived in, a formal Code certificate will not be issued however BRE will set out the performance of each design in a statement of conformity. This will include an overall level of compliance that could be expected in a home constructed to the design, together with a breakdown of the score and the actions taken to achieve it.
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