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Ecobuild conference puts spotlight on housing

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Some of the most influential and outspoken names in the UK housing industry will present their visionary and powerful opinions in the housing themed sessions on Day 1 at Ecobuild. Supported by BRE, the conference covers property issues ranging from the need for high quality volume housing and commercial viability of ultra-low cost and low energy homes, to the challenges of refurb and retrofit.

The programme, being hosted by broadcaster Cathy Newman, embodies state of the art design and construction, leaving no stone unturned to establish what our future housing needs are and what can be done to deliver it. Among speakers giving their forthright, expert – and at times – provocative views include Tony Pidgley, Chairman of Berkeley Group; David Sheridan, Chief Executive of Keepmoat, and Rowan Moore, Architecture Critic for the Observer. All three will provide a unique and inspiring look at what makes good housing.

Professor Phil Jones, Chairman of Architectural Science at Cardiff University, is another of the day’s dynamic speakers. Prof Jones led the team which developed SOLCER, the UK’s first purpose-built, low-cost energy smart house which is capable of exporting more energy to the national electricity grid than it uses. The property was built for a mere £100,000. Prof Jones’ teaching and research activities cover a range of subjects in the field of energy use, environmental design and sustainability in the built environment.

With each session designed to give a glimpse at the future of housebuilding and home creation, Colin Usher, director of John McCall Architects, provides a presentation on “Living for Tomorrow”, in which he offers common sense solutions to low-energy, cost-effective future living. In 2014, John developed a house which runs on a utilities bill of just £15 per year.

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Alutec and the future of housebuilding

Alutec’s aluminium rainwater systems have been installed on a landmark new housing project developed by Wienerberger, the leading provider of wall, roof and landscaping innovations. The Wienerberger e4 brick house™ at the BRE Innovation Park has been designed to be a future archetype for sustainable and affordable housing in the UK.

Designed in conjunction with global engineering and design consultancy ARUP, the e4 brick house™ is based around four fundamental principles of energy, economy, environment and emotion. Designed using Building Information Modelling (BIM), the Wienerberger e4 brick house™ has a build time of just 12 weeks, which is around half that of standard housing, and has the flexibility to work just as effectively through shared ownership as it would for a privately-owned home.

Central to the project’s ethos is the use of market leading building products and solutions that offer excellent sustainability credentials as well as high levels of performance. Specified for the coping, fascia and soffit system was Alutec’s Evoke range in RAL7016 Anthracite Grey. Made from highly durable composite aluminium, the Evoke range has a life expectancy of 50 years or more and features a unique nano self-cleaning coat resulting in minimal maintenance requirements.

Also specified was Alutec’s Evolve Half Round guttering and downpipes in the same colour. The Evolve product range is manufactured from marine grade aluminium and as this high quality material is so impervious to corrosion, it provides the same 50-year life expectancy as the coping, fascia and soffit. In addition, aluminium is also extremely light – up to 65 per cent lighter than cast iron alternatives – making it much safer to handle on site and quicker to install.

Paul Surin, Head of Built Environment at Wienerberger, commented: “The Wienerberger e4 brick house represents a significant step forward in the progression of UK housing and offers an accessible model that can be implemented now. Choosing the right materials was therefore crucial in achieving a build that met the strict requirements the future industry will demand and that we set for ourselves.

“Alutec’s products were a perfect fit in this respect as their longevity, sustainability and low maintenance requirements meant we could deliver not only the type of building we wanted to but the intended lifestyle for the future residents as well.

Importantly, Alutec’s products are available as BIM components which meant they could be seamlessly integrated into the design and allowed us to meet the tight deadlines we had set ourselves for the build of this project.”

Alutec has the most comprehensive BIM portfolio of components of any rainwater product manufacturer and has an experienced technical team that can assist with bespoke design and project management. What’s more, Alutec’s products installed on the Wienerberger e4 brick house are full recyclable at the end of their extended life span, making them some of the most sustainable products available in the UK.

Designed to achieve standards such as the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 without renewables, 2016 Part L and complying with Lifetime Homes and the London Housing Design Guide, the Wienerberger e4 brick house provides a real solution to the current housing crisis.

For more information about Alutec please visit: www.marleyalutec.co.uk.

For more information about Wienerberger and the e4 brick house please visit: www.wienerberger.co.uk/e4-house

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UK housing heavyweight selects Hueck

One of Europe’s leading manufacturers of architectural aluminium systems, Hueck, has been selected by the housebuilding company Berkeley Group as a preferred supplier of window, door and façade applications.

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The collaboration will see Hueck’s aluminium systems specified for Berkeley’s residential and mixed use developments in London and the South East.
The recommendation was made by Berkeley’s Supply Chain Task Force after the careful consideration of Hueck’s products and manufacturing capacities of its UK fabricators, as well as the bespoke design services and advanced testing facilities offered by the building envelope specialist.
Leon Friend, project development director for Hueck UK, commented: “Berkeley Group were looking for trusted suppliers they could recommend to their constituent companies for effective integration in future projects in order to add value and reduce risks.
“As one of the most experienced providers of aluminium window, door and façade systems in Europe, Hueck are able to ensure great construction flexibility and a truly bespoke approach in order to provide our clients with a perfectly tailored solution for their projects.
“We’re delighted to have been named as preferred suppliers, and we look forward to our collaboration,” added Leon.
Hueck is a globally active company, and one of Europe’s largest and most innovative aluminium extruders, with a 200 year track record of groundbreaking engineering. A specialist in both bespoke solutions, as well as standard systems, the company offers a wide choice of profiles, all of which are designed to integrate with each other. Hueck’s Lambda range alone consist of 13 different window systems, and 7 door systems. In addition, the company offers the innovative Trigon range of façade systems and the Volato sliding door system.

For more information please visit www.hueck.com

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