Green tech eyed for landmark residential scheme

Developers of a landmark residential scheme in the centre of Birmingham are looking to heat the building using green technology.

The 49-storey Octagon at Paradise, which will contain 346 build-to-rent apartments, could use air-source heat pumps to provide warmth and hot water.

The plans were revealed in May and have been worked on by Dav Bansal, partner at Glenn Howells Architects, which is designing the octagon-shaped tower, due to be completed in 2024 – if permission is granted by Birmingham City council.

“We’re currently looking at ways of using air-source heat pumps at the Octagon scheme,” he said. “Carbon reduction and sustainability are extremely important to the future of the residential sector.”

It comes after the government unveiled plans to ban gas boilers in new-build homes by 2023.

The air-source technology provides carbon-free energy by using clever engineering to convert outside air into heat. A similar system uses ground source heat pumps, which makes use of heat embedded underground.

“Yes, there are government targets to follow, but builders also have a moral responsibility to develop environmentally-friendly schemes in an environmentally-friendly way,” added Bansal.

Construction groups need to look at reducing their carbon footprint by doing more modular or off-site construction, he said.

Bansal is one of the speakers at Insider’s Midlands Residential Property Conference on 11 December, which will focus on how developers and designers are responding to government climate change targets and modern methods of construction (MMC)

The virtual conference takes place from 9.20am.

Housing minister Christopher Pincher will give a keynote speech, which will touch on government efforts to decarbonise the housing sector.

Other speakers include Keith Carnegie, chief executive of Vistry Housebuilding, owner of Bovis Homes and Linden Homes; Kevin McHugh, director of pre-construction at developer and investor Greystar and Adam Daniels, West Midlands managing director at timber-frame housebuilder Countryside Properties.

For more details and to register your place, click here.

Source: Insider Media