Wood Newton Limited is currently working with the South Midlands region of Taylor Wimpey (formally George Wimpey) to construct 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. This contract will run for another two years. The system has been approved by the NHBC and the mortgage lending council.
Wood Newton Limited has now developed its own unique patented system for producing different house types and apartment blocks.
Click here to view a 24 hour timelapse video of a house being built 15.9Mb Quicktime File
The construction of the system easily complies with Code Level 3 in government’s new “Code for Sustainable Homes”. We have designed this system to incorporate the bolt-on option of providing the heating and hot water from a heat pump, thus giving a system capable of obtaining Level 4.
We have also designed a system capable of obtaining Levels 5 & 6, i.e. Zero Carbon, which is currently required to meet Building Regulation in 2016. At present zero carbon houses are exempt from Stamp Duty.
The system can give U-values between 0.08 & 0.24W/m2K.
Following the success of the Oxley Woods site Wood Newton Limited and Taylor Wimpey are currently reviewing how to improve sustainability to give high marks in the government’s new “Code for Sustainable Homes” by using Wood Newton Limited’s system.
Wood Newton Limited has also been discussing various environmentally friendly housing schemes with Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Architects (formally Richard Rogers) as they have seen the benefits of the system in use in Milton Keynes.
Background to the Development of the System: Wood Newton Limited long ago realised that the technology used in their external façade system could be adapted to housing, therefore passing on the advantage of speed, sustainability and thermal efficiency. We discussed the possibility of designing and manufacturing a prototype of a house with George Wimpey and Richard Rogers to match the design that won John Prescott’s £60K Design for Manufacture Competition for Oxley Woods in Milton Keynes. The prototype was a success in that it could match all the Competition’s criteria in terms of innovation, speed & sustainability.
The government’s new “Code for Sustainable Homes” requires forms of renewable energy to be used for all higher levels of accreditation. Wood Newton Limited have been working with a specialist consultant and various specialist companies to provide cost and feasible analysis of what is required for each stage. Wood Newton Limited’s house design at present can easily become carbon neutral for all heating, with a small initial outlay to be carbon neutral for hot water too. A totally carbon neutral house with regards to electricity for lighting and appliances is possible with the outlay cost presently being finalised. The Government has stated that the Building Regulations shall be changed such that all new homes should be built to be carbon neutral by 2016. The number of house builders seriously reviewing their construction methods has been criticised. The standard brick/block house cannot meet this level of sustainability.
The Government has stated that the Building Regulations shall be changed such that all new homes should be built to be carbon neutral by 2016. The standard brick/block house cannot meet this level of sustainability. Also, the Government plans to build three million new homes by 2020 linked with changes in the Building Regulations means that the speed, low-carbon construction and energy efficiency of Wood Newton Limited’s house system will place them well to cope with the future changes in housing construction.
Encouraged by the success of the system on a full housing site, Wood Newton Limited have explored the potential of building to these sustainable standards on a mass scale and conclude that their sustainable housing system is ideal to meet this challenge.
Wood Newton Limited
Patented Panelised Wall & Roof System
- The advantages of the system can be summarised as:
- Manufactured from FSC (or equivalent) timber and using Warmcell insulation, Wood Newton Limited's System has a very low carbon factor and is totally sustainable. Not reliant on polyurethane insulation.
- Very quick on site erection. This leads to building being watertight quicker and less time spent on the outside of building will give more time for internal and external works.
- Minimum waste at factory and on site.
- Structure and rigidity of panels could lead to reduced structural members and less bracing, especially if an integrated design is considered from the outset.
- Less time working at heights should lead to reduced serious accidents.
- Proven system to housing and external facades.
- NHBC approved system for houses.
- Flat packed panels on articulated trailers will drastically reduce the amount of transport required.
- The process is not reliant on expensive, difficult to obtain machinery. In addition, much of the labour is off-site, utilising relatively low-skilled operatives, the possibility of basing production in areas of high unemployment or where re-generation is most needed. This could be an important political advantage.
- Largest panel that can be manufactured and transported without escort is 14m by 3.6m.
- Cost comparable with metal systems.
- No need for scaffolds: entire wall system to use powered access plant only.
- Construction method of panels leads to low seasonal movement.
- Factory manufacture leads to good control of tolerance.
- U-values as low as 0.1W/m²K can be achieved.
- Measured sound insulation between semi-detached houses: 60dB.
- Very good air tightness is achieved through tight tolerances (2.7m3/h.m2 @ 50Pa has been achieved in houses with standard doors and windows).
- Designs for zero carbon houses and schools are feasible and being developed.
- Robust and detailing means the system is not reliant on correct fitment of flimsy vapour and breather membranes
- System is very easy to adapt:
- Increase wall thickness to increase u-value;
- Large range of external cladding: Timber, Trespa, Rockpanel, Eternit, brick slips, render, etc. Further development could lead to these being fixed off site.
- No limit to internal finish.
- Not limited to square and rectangles: curved and special shaped panels available.
- Insertion of windows, doors, louvres, shutters, etc is easily achieved.
- Size of panels variable so that can be manually handled, installed by forklift or crane.
Links to Related Websites:
BBC News Archive
news.bbc.co.uk
BBC News Archive
news.bbc.co.uk
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
