30th July 2008
Sustainable Housing Project Tackles Fuel Poverty
Bilsthorpe-based construction specialist, Woodhead, has completed a £1.4 million contract to deliver a sustainable and eco-friendly housing project for Lincolnshire Rural Housing Association
Lincolnshire Rural Housing Association’s Chief Executive John Howes says: “According to latest figures over 6 million households in England could end up in fuel poverty this year. The Bicker project is part of our ongoing strategy to develop affordable rural housing that contributes to people’s quality of life by providing a warm and healthy environment that shuts the door on ‘heat or eat’ concerns."
To this end, the Swedish Karlson Hus closed panel timber frame system was chosen as part of the build package. Along with the thermal properties of this system, the properties proved extremely quick to erect. Woodhead built at a rate of two watertight properties every six days. This lead to a project timescale of only twenty-nine weeks.
Benefits of the Scandinavian timber frame buildings include:
Environmentally friendly material usage – timber drawn from sustainable sources, toxin free paints, satins and varnishes.
Extremely hardwearing exterior – exterior 22mm timber erodes at just 1mm per 100 years lasting the lifespan of the building. Re-staining required only every 7 – 10 years.
High insulation - air management systems and high insulation minimise heating requirements. Triple glazing further insulates from cold and noise pollution.
Healthy living – a heat recovery system provides a constant flow of filtered, pre-warmed air to remove moisture, prevent condensation and growth of fungus, whose spores can be damaging to health.
Dust Reduction – filtered air reduces airborne dirt and dust and high quality wooden floors remove the need for carpets minimising the risk of dust-mite to asthmatics.
Improved hygiene – simple timber profiles for the interior woodwork, fully fitted and tiled bathrooms and wipe-down ceilings help to improve hygiene and reduce maintenance.
Durable interiors – prepared with a fibreglass weave and finished with low-toxic water-based paint for a scuff-resistant surface.
Easy access – layout designed with convenience in mind. Easy access has been ensured to services such as boilers making sure that living areas are not disturbed.
Ability to recycle – all components can be salvages and recycled.
The Association’s Chief Executive John Howes said: “Along with the Longhurst Group, Roger Case Design & Management and Andrew Marston Associates, Woodhead played a key role in ensuring the development was completed ahead of schedule, with zero reportable accidents on site and zero defects at handover”.
Woodhead Business Development Manager, Glenn Slater is very pleased with the success of the Bicker development, which has now been officially opened by Tim Ellis, Bishop of Grantham and President of Lincolnshire Rural Housing Association.
Glenn says: “This project was a great success for us and one that we are very proud of, not least because we achieved all the targets for energy efficiency that will save residents money on heating bills, but also because we built them in 29 weeks, one week ahead of time”.
Since successful completion of the project, Woodhead’s have been appointed by LRHA for three further projects which will seek to break new ground in terms of energy efficiency, aiming to achieve Levels 4 and 5 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. This includes 12 houses in Manby, made from the Kingspan Tek Building System supplied by Woodhead’s sister company K Panels and 6 earth sheltered dwellings in Long Sutton.
