CASE STUDY
TIMBER
A SIGN OF THE TIMES
1 The Hope Rise housing project in Bristol will see ZED Pods provide a revolutionary cost-effective, eco-friendly and affordable housing solution using timber volumetric offsite manufacturing technology. In collaboration with Bristol City Council and Bristol Housing Festival (BHF) the project is designed to be the first 100% affordable and lowcarbon housing development aimed at creating a mixed tenure affordable housing scheme over the Chalks Road car park, adjacent to St. George Park, Bristol. It is a pioneering environmental and socially-focused development which will deliver much needed social housing for young people in need of affordable housing. The project site is currently used as a car park which serves St George’s Park and the nearby retail area. The proposed development seeks to retain the site’s existing use as a car park in conjunction with a residential use comprising 11 duplex apartments. The homes have been optimised for energy efficiency and lowest possible energy costs, with PV panels to generate electricity in the day, quiet running heat pumps for low energy heating, controlled ventilation which recovers usable heat from inside the building whilst bringing in fresh air, triple glazing, LED lighting and energyefficient appliances. The apartments have been made from cross laminated timber (CLT) panels. The building fabric is further optimised
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using offsite fabrication with superinsulated walls and roofs to achieve high level of airtightness (1.3 ach at 50 pascals), heat recovery ventilation, high standards of draught proofing, and low heat loss – circa 90% improvement over building regulations. The scheme aims to improve the fabric efficiency of the building beyond the 97% fabric energy improvements in the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP). This development is capable of offsetting all regulated energy demands and the A-rated Preliminary Energy Assessment (PEA) shows that negative carbon emissions are possible across the site. Airtightness membrane in between CLT panels and insulation ensures that the airtightness layer will be untouched for the life of the building.
could offset both the carbon footprint of the original construction, plus the annual maintenance and annual energy needed to run the homes.
The client agreed on timeframe and budget with a ‘not to exceed’ price point. Because units are prefabricated in a factory, construction time is shorter without affecting the building safety and durability of the apartments. By monitoring and using regular supply chain products, the cost of production was optimised whilst minimising construction risks.
Using timber as a structural component also gives flexibility to adapt for individual designs and offers end users an open plan to use with solid floors, walls and ceilings to amend internal layouts as required - e.g. hoists can be installed in ceilings for disabled users. This innovative development will rethink existing land use in central locations, demonstrating new thinking to help solve housing crisis whilst providing beautiful, low carbon housing and is the UK’s first CLT residential development to be built above a carpark.
This project was deemed as a Bristol MMC pilot project with the opportunity of scaling up and replicating the scheme to other sites. ZED Pods was chosen by the council based on superior energy performance measures and help them achieve ultra-low carbon and ultra-low energy consumption – a complete sustainable development. Over the lifetime of the project the scheme is expected to have no net carbon footprint and
There is minimised concrete and aggregate use by using screw pile foundations. Wet trades are minimised to save energy and water. Gas is eliminated from the scheme and buildings are all electric. The scheme is air quality neutral with reduced impacts on local air pollution, noise and dust levels. The scheme creates living spaces above large carpark in urban centre, with easy access to local amenities and public transport networks. It is a direct and innovative response to the challenge of a sustainable transport future
For more information visit: www.zedpods.com Images: 01-02. The timber homes will be a trailblazer for affordable low carbon living. Courtesy ZED Pods
WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
