Articles

According to the housing white paper published earlier this year, the Government intends to utilise offsite technologies and build around 100,000 modular homes across Britain by 2020. This call for a quick and sustainable solution to the current housing shortage has created a unique opportunity for offsite construction to become a key building method to meet the demand in the housing industry.

The UK finds itself in the midst of an acute housing crisis. Current annual construction levels are typically less than half of the estimated 250,000 new homes this country needs built every year through to at least the 2030s. With only 63% of projects delivered on time and only 49% delivered to budget, it’s clear to see that traditional building practices, whilst still integral, are falling short of meeting major challenges on their own.

Bevan Jones, managing director of Sustainable Homes looks at the latest report into sustainability in the housing sector.

We have just published a new report into how sustainable the housing sector. Safe as Houses supported by H+H, throws up some interesting and surprising facts about the industry which should provide a salutatory lesson for social housing providers, housebuilders, manufacturers and suppliers alike.

The report sharpens the case for a more robust sustainability strategy for the housing sector across all tenures as it provides evidence that environmental accreditation enhances performance in terms of sustainability and climate action.
The social housing sector is undergoing major changes and sustainability has been frequently side-lined – but being sustainable impacts on decisions by investors and sustainable organisations are best placed to provide the safe, sustainable homes that is so desperately needed.

Johnson & Starley offer a complete range of energy-efficient solutions for heating and ventilating - from the smallest house to the biggest blocks of flats - ensuring a warm, healthy home with clean air and a clear conscience!

Johnson & Starley’s LE155 whole house ventilation systems with heat recovery are playing a major role in the refurbishment of social housing within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Over 70 units have been installed within the kitchens of apartments in Hazlewood Tower to provide an energy efficient means of ventilating the properties, preventing condensation and combating the problem of mould growth which affects so many properties of this type built in
the 1960s.

“Putting it very simply, better homes perform better for all,” says Bevan Jones, manging director of Sustainable Homes, the research, accreditation and consultancy organisation behind SHIFT – the sustainability standard for the housing sector.

Sustainable Homes sees itself as a sustainability leader in the housing sector and Mr Jones sums up the organisation’s purpose as “every home encouraging more sustainable lives.”
The not for profit organisation seeks to influence policy, deliver learning to the sector and provide insight through its Awards, events and conferences. It supports the housing sector through research, accreditation and consultancy to make a difference both to how businesses are run and upon individual people’s lives.

An American engineer and professor by the name of William Edwards Deming once said, “Innovation comes from the producer – not the customer.” When it comes to the window industry I couldn’t agree more.

After all, what is the incentive for the customer to seek an alternative to a tried, tested and familiar products – and in this context I mean UPVC and aluminium windows – when those products do exactly what is required of them: they let light in, enable those inside to see out and provide an adequate level of security.

Eriboll Street is a new-build project for Loretto Housing Association in Glasgow, comprising three blocks of apartments, 26 of which feature a Windoor System 1000 Light enclosed balcony.
This new build development of three apartment blocks features Windoor System 1000 Light frameless glazing throughout. The full height clear toughened sliding folding opening glass gives complete flexibility to the 26 wintergardens, allowing residents to enjoy their balcony space all year round.

Feature fanlights above provide additional ventilation independently of the glazed panels below. For additional security, the balconies were completed with a PPC steel balustrade by Martec Engineering to provide a safe barrier to the front of the opening glass to 1100mm.

Visitors to the home of British manufacturer Pegler Yorkshire in Doncaster are taken off the M18 past a roundabout, flower-filled courtesy of the company’s sponsorship. And its commitment to the community doesn’t stop there - every year Pegler support Teen Tech, an event which encourages school children from around the town to discuss and experience science and engineering with local businesses.

Every stage in the manufacture of Pegler’s Terrier TRV is undertaken at these Doncaster premises, from the initial delivery of the solid brass bars (over 6,000 tonnes a year) to the finished products’ packaging for retailers and end-users.