Case studies

Private & affordable housing,
The Way, Beswick, East Manchester, UK

"...innovation informs every aspect of The Way, from the design of the homes and the use of the Kingspan Off-Site TEK® Building System, to the incorporation of advanced energy saving features. We have had a tremendous response, both in terms of the reaction to the development locally and the response from home buyers, with all 80 homes in the first phase selling extremely quickly.."

Paul Hulme, Regional Director, Lovell.

Kingspan Off-Site's TEK® Building System has been used by affordable housing developer, Lovell, to construct 80 homes in the first phase of 'The Way' development in Manchester, which will consist of 550 high performance, affordable homes on completion, making it the UK's largest development built using off-site construction techniques.

Paul Jeffrey, director at Manchester based architects, Bowker Sadler, specified the Kingspan Off-Site TEK® Building System for The Way development. He commented: "Having designed the houses from inside out and outside in, with the living experience to the fore, we then looked in detail at the technical challenges this presented. The client had an aspiration for off-site manufacture and the benefits of an integral structural, insulated panel with good thermal properties could not be ignored. Hence SIP technology was selected by Lovell and, working closely with Kingspan Off- Site, it quickly became evident that the TEK® Building System would be flexible enough not to have to compromise on aesthetics.

"Given the U-values and air-tightness that the TEK® Building System provides, larger glazed areas have been possible, thus gaining a balance in terms of thermal efficiency. Allied to the use of off-peak electricity and a gas fed boiler capable of generating electricity, SAP targets for the development have been achieved and running costs for the houses will be economical."

Kingspan Off-Site's TEK® Building System is based on SIP (Structural Insulated Panel) technology. It is able to deliver very low U-values due to its composition of 110mm of high performance rigid thermoset urethane insulation, which has a zero ODP (ozone depletion potential) and a zero GWP (global warming potential), sandwiched between two sheets of OSB. This thermal performance is further enhanced by the high level of airtightness the system delivers, which is achieved by the panel's unique sealed jointing system, which minimises the amount of air that can pass through the joints, once constructed.

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