Friday, 31 August 2007
Nuaire Wins Pioneering Low Carbon Homes Project
An iconic residential site in Milton Keynes has recently been opened on a 3 hectare site in Oxley Wood addressing the need for sustainable and affordable homes for the future.The development of 145 environmentally friendly homes will provide a mixture of affordable housing and larger private dwellings, all of which are constructed from sustainable materials and feature Nuaire's unique EcoHat energy saving system.
The project, which teams Taylor Wimpey, one of the UK's largest developers with Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners (formerly Richard Rogers Partnership) one of the worlds leading architect firms and designers of the Millennium Dome, is one of 6 winning partnerships of the 2005 competition to build high quality homes at a construction cost of £60,000. The prime focus of the competition by the English Partnership and the then titled ODPM was to encourage architects and housebuilders to work closely together to create innovative and imaginative housing for the 21st century.
All of the homes on site have been designed to meet the Government's sustainability targets, using high levels of insulation and controlled ventilation in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. When compared to other new developments, the site at Oxley Wood will have up to 50% less carbon emissions per property.
Nuaire were first approached to get involved in the project by Rybka the mechanical consultants appointed for the project in December 2005 to provide the ventilation for the site.
Working closely with the architects and the consultants to develop a bespoke system to maximise energy and construction efficiencies, Nuaire were given the brief of making the EcoHat system a credible energy contributor to the houses.
The EcoHat is a new generation of ventilation systems, based on the award winning Sunwarm range of products. By positioning the EcoHat on the roof, the air handling unit inside the base unit diffuses fresh filtered air into the building and reuses otherwise lost hot air to pre-heat the incoming air. Complemented by solar energy the system optimises energy consumption and provides solar preheated air and central extract and can be upgraded to provide passive solar hot water.
As the whole site has adopted an MMC approach with off- site construction, pre-fabricating timber frames for walls, ceilings and floors in controlled environments, Nuaire adopted the principle for the EcoHat base units. The systems are pre-assembled at Nuaire's manufacturing plant in South Wales before being despatched to site. Not only does this allow for quicker installations but the systems can also be rotated for best orientation.
The development's cutting edge design is reinforced by the futuristic EcoHat, which sits atop each property. The system plays a pivotal role in each property achieving the maximum National Home Energy Rating. Alan Wright, Group Managing Director for Nuaire said, "The increased complexity of achieving sustainable homes while enabling cost effective, modern methods of construction was a challenge. However Nuaire’s commitment to applying advanced technology and deliver ventilation solutions which meet customers needs is a key strength of our Company and we were delighted to collaborate with The Roger’s Partnership and Taylor Wimpey in developing Ecohat; a new concept in building services."
