Kingspan Off-Site is to reveal it's first level 6 house at Offsite2007
Kingspan Off-Site will be revealing its innovative ‘Lighthouse’ net-zero carbon home in the Big Build Innovation Park area of the BRE’s OFFSITE2007 exhibition in June, which is the most advanced house design ever produced for mainstream construction. With unrivalled levels of efficiency in terms of the construction method, energy use, CO2 emissions and carbon footprint, this high performance, sustainable home pushes the boundaries of modern housing design and is the first to achieve the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6, the standard to which all new homes should be designed and constructed by 2016.
Lighthouse is the next generation of Kingspan Off-Site’s range of sustainable house designs and the company is working alongside Sheppard Robson, Arup, MacFarlane Wilder and Davis Langdon to realise this vision for the delivery of affordable and sustainable homes.
The 93m2, two and a half storey, two-bedroom house is being designed in line with Lifetime Homes and Scheme Development Standards (SDS) and every building material and component used has been specified for its ability to optimise the house design’s overall sustainability credentials.
Lighthouse will be constructed by Chorus Group using Kingspan Off-Site’s TEK Building System. With a U-value of 0.11W/m2K and airtightness of less than 1.0m3/hr/m2 at 50Pa, this high performance SIPs (Structural Insulated Panel) based system delivers very high levels of thermal insulation and airtightness, to ensure that the designed heat loss values are achieved in practice. As such, the heat loss in the Lighthouse will be reduced by around two-thirds compared to a standard new house.
This super insulated, airtight building fabric has been designed to provide generous daylight levels and includes effective solar control, together with integrated building services based around a platform of renewable and sustainable technologies designed by Arup. These include water efficiency techniques, such as low volume, sanitary ware and appliances, and rainwater harvesting, as well as renewable energy technologies, including a biomass boiler, building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) and solar-thermal array.
Lighthouse includes mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), as well as a roof-mounted wind catcher, which provides passive cooling and ventilation. A waste separation system has also been included in the house design, which enables combustible waste to be used locally in central heat and power plants.
Services in Lighthouse will be integrated with smart metering and monitoring, which records energy consumption and enables occupants to identify if any wastage is occurring, helping to promote more environmentally aware lifestyles.
The LightHouse that will be constructed in the Big Build Innovation Park area of the OFFSITE2007 exhibition will provide a blueprint from which a range of house types will be developed. Importantly, this will allow the concept of this innovative house design to be incorporated into any masterplan scheme to provide homes with performance levels specifically tuned to meet whatever level of the Code for Sustainable Homes is required.
In addition to constructing the net-zero carbon house in the Big Build area, the Kingspan Off-Site Partner Alliance, which includes all the team members involved in the design and construction of the Lighthouse, will also have a high profile presence in the exhibition area of the event, where it will be demonstrating how this innovative and advanced house design has been developed.
Notes to editors:
For further information:
Sam Dorney, Triangle PR
Tel: 0161 873 8009
Kingspan Off-Site
Kingspan Off-Site is Europe’s leading manufacturer and innovator of modern methods of construction, providing high performance solutions to the private and affordable housebuilding and commercial sectors, as well as the public sector. The company uses the latest in off-site manufacturing techniques to produce complete building systems for a broad range of applications at its UK and European facilities.
Sheppard Robson
Sheppard Robson is an international practice providing architectural urban design, town planning, masterplanning and interior design services. With more than 65 years experience, it is one of the largest practices in the UK with over 300 people in established offices in both London and Manchester. Voted Sustainable Designer of the Year and Interior Design of the Year, the practice enjoys a reputation for excellence in design and professional service, with extensive expertise in almost every development area.
Arup
Arup is a global firm of consulting engineers, providing engineering design, planning and project management services in all areas of the built environment. Arup is the creative force behind many of the world’s most innovative and sustainable building, transport and civil engineering projects, and, with 7,000 staff worldwide, it has more than 10,000 projects running at any one time. Arup forms multi-disciplinary teams, which work together to develop the design of buildings, and cover the entire process, from the original project briefing to the final building maintenance.
Davis Langdon
Davis Langdon is a leading international project and cost consultancy, providing managed solutions for clients investing in infrastructure, property and construction, worldwide. The firm has worked on a number of high profile projects including Tate Modern, London and Eden Project, Cornwall and is the recipient of a number of industry awards including being voted Top International Construction Consultant for fourteen successive years. The firm was named one of the Sunday Times ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ in this year’s league table and has in excess of 3500 staff in some 96 offices worldwide.
Macfarlane Wilder
Macfarlane Wilder is a London based landscape architecture practice providing sustainable design solutions for urban and environmental regeneration. The practice has won design competitions for its innovative approach to carbon neutral development in the UK and abroad. The consultancy is proud to have been involved in both the design of the Lighthouse for Kingspan Off-Site and the Innovation Park for the BRE.
Chorus Group
Chorus Group is one of the UK’s leading and fastest growing construction companies working across a diverse mix of property sectors, delivering for complex, high quality and sustainable property solutions. The company specialises in delivering ambitious construction projects that delight its clients via its innovative trustworthy approach.