Oxley Woods Housing Site, Milton Keynes
Synopsis: Management, design, testing, supply & installation of 145 prefabricated, sustainable houses
Approximate Contract Value: £14million
Client: Taylor Wimpey South Midlands
Architect: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (formally Richard Rogers)
We are currently constructing 145 houses at Oxley Woods in Milton Keynes. Wood Newton Limited and Richard Roger’s design won John Prescott’s £60K Design for Manufacture Competition due to short on site durations and their low energy use during construction and in use. Sustainable materials within the design lessen their environmental impact so the whole scheme has been classed as “excellent” in the government’s “Code for Sustainable Homes” scheme.
We are undertaking all works from the foundations including a prefabricated structural timber frame, external cladding, internal and external windows and doors, mechanical and electrical installations, plaster boarding, taping and jointing, decoration, sanitaryware and kitchens.
The system has been approved by the NHBC and the mortgage lending council.
The design of the house integrates the high air tightness and low U-value with a heat recovery system to reduce the heating costs to well below that of a brick/block house built to the current Building Regulations.
The use of sustainable materials for the structure, cladding and internal finishes means that the houses have much lower carbon footprints than a standard brick/block house.
Bespoke windows and doors add large quantities of natural light within the house whilst maintaining a Secure by Design rating.
We believe the off-site manufacture of structural and internal walls has reduced build tolerances, thus contributing to better quality finishes. The site won the 2007 Taylor Wimpey (South Midlands) Excellence Award for the quality of the houses.
We are currently completing houses 4 weeks quicker than houses built with traditional methods. Cost savings in preliminaries and development interest are therefore being achieved.
Links to Related Websites:
BBC News Links
Article 1
Article 2
BD Magazine Feature
www.bdonline.co.uk
George Wimpey Site
www.oxleywoods.com
English Partnerships
www.designformanufacture.info
Code for Sustainable Homes
www.communities.gov.uk
Awards
RICS South East Awards 2008 - Winner
Download awards article
