Case studies

Lighthouse, Private housing

"This modern housing design is the first to achieve the government's Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6, the standard to which all new homes will be designed and constructed by 2016"

Kingspan Off-Site revealed its innovative 'Lighthouse' net-zero carbon home in the Big Build Innovation Park area of the Building Research Establishment (BRE) OFFSITE2007, 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, which is exempt from stamp duty, pushes the boundaries of modern housing design and is the first to achieve the government's Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6, the standard to which all new homes will 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, Davis Langdon and CCB Evolution to realise this vision for the delivery of affordable and sustainable homes.

The 93m2, two and a half storey, two-bedroom house has been 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 was constructed by Chorus Group using Kingspan Off-Site's TEK Building System. With a U-value of 0.11W/m2K and excellent levels of airtightness, this high performance SIP based system delivers very high levels of thermal insulation and airtightness and has ensured that the designed heat loss values have been achieved in practice. As such, the heat loss in the Lighthouse has been 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, rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling, as well as renewable energy technologies, including a biomass boiler, building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) and a solar-thermal array.

These renewable energy features have reduced energy fuel costs for space and water heating in the Lighthouse to around £30 per year and, as all electricity is supplied via solar technologies, electricity running costs are completely eliminated. The overall annual cost of the fuel has been reduced by about 94% (not including standing charges).

Lighthouse also includes mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), as well as a roof-mounted wind catcher, which provides secure night-time ventilation for passive cooling, in conjunction with thermal mass boards in the ceilings and external shading. There will also be containers for waste separation both in the kitchen and outside, so that waste can be recycled and composted.

Building services in Lighthouse have been integrated with smart metering and monitoring, which records energy consumption and enables occupants to identify if any wastage is occurring, helping them to be more energy conscious. A simple home user guide will also be provided, which gives advice on how to run the house and will help to promote more environmentally aware lifestyles.

The Lighthouse will provide a blueprint from which a range of house types will be developed. Importantly, Kingspan Off-Site has devised technical systems and solutions that have been designed to allow housebuilders and developers to incorporate the concept of this innovative house design into any masterplan scheme to create homes with performance levels specifically tuned to meet whatever level of the Code for Sustainable Homes they require, from 1 right through to 6.

For futher information please visit www.kingspanlighthouse.com

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