GREEN FOR LIFE Winner of the Retrofit eco design competition, British Homes Awards. The design for four houses in Sunderland won the most votes of readers of the Daily Telegraph.
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as PDF Our starting point was a design strategy that would allow the inhabitants to evolve their lifestyles within an adaptable home. Architecture is often conceived through a narrow lens but should encompass a much wider perspective such as an economy of means as key criteria for a truly sustainable community. Each of the four homes in the terrace is configured to suit a different life stage. One is the ideal home for a young professional couple, with a double-height atrium and a galleried working space. In another, the attic has been converted into a third bedroom for a couple with two children, while in another, the attic has been rented to a lodger once the children leave home. The fourth adds a platform lift to access the first floor.
GREEN FOR LIFE Winner of the Retrofit eco design competition, British Homes Awards. The design for four houses in Sunderland won the most votes of readers of the Daily Telegraph. : Project images
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Energy and fuel use
Measured data from renewable generation is not yet available.
Fuel use
| Pre-development | Forecast | Measured | |
| Electricity use | - | - | - |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas use | - | - | - |
| Oil use | - | - | - |
| LPG use | - | - | - |
| Wood use | - | - | - |
| Other Fuel | - | - | - |
| Pre-development | Forecast | Measured | |
| Primary energy requirement | - | - | - |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual CO₂ emissions | - | - | - |
| Annual space heat demand | - | - | - |
Renewable energy
| Electricity generation | Forecast | Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Renewables Technology | - | - |
| Other Renewables Tech | - | - |
| Electricity consumed by generation | - | - |
| Primary energy requirement offset by renewable generation | - | - |
| Annual CO₂ emissions offset by renewable generation | - | - |
Calculation and targets
| Whole house energy calculation method | |
|---|---|
| Other whole house calculation method | - |
| Energy target | CSH 5 |
| Other energy targets | - |
| Forecast heating load | - |
Airtightness
| Date | Result | |
| Pre-development air permeability test | - | - |
|---|---|---|
| Final air permeability test | - | - |
Project description
| Stage | Design (pre-planning permission approval) |
|---|---|
| Start date | |
| Occupation date | |
| Location | Sunderland County Durham England |
| Build type | Refurbishment |
| Building sector | Public Residential |
| Property type | |
| Construction type | |
| Other construction type | |
| Party wall construction | |
| Floor area | 172 m² |
| Floor area calculation method | Approximate Floor Area |
| Building certification |
Project Team
| Organisation | |
|---|---|
| Project lead person | |
| Landlord or Client | |
| Architect | HESS KINCAID LEACH architects |
| Mechanical & electrical consultant | |
| Energy consultant | |
| Structural engineer | |
| Quantity surveyor | |
| Consultant | |
| Contractor |
Design strategies
| Planned occupancy | Each of the four homes in the terrace is configured to suit a different life stage. One is the ideal home for a young professional couple, with a double-height atrium and a galleried working space. In another, the attic has been converted into a third bedroom for a couple with two children, while in another, the attic has been rented to a lodger once the children leave home. The fourth adds a platform lift to access the first floor. |
|---|---|
| Space heating strategy | Gas boilers/Air source heat pump. |
| Water heating strategy | Solar hot water with gas condensing boiler or air source heat pump |
| Fuel strategy | Mains Gas. |
| Renewable energy strategy | South facing and some east-west roof slopes are to have evacuated tube solar thermal collectors and photovoltaic arrays. |
| Passive Solar strategy | |
| Space cooling strategy | |
| Daylighting strategy | Roof-lights with light-wells are placed over the staircases to provide natural day-lighting and ventilation. The roof windows are triple glazed argon filled k glass in white prefinished moulded frames. The manufacturer's U value is 1.0 w/m/k. Large glazed openings face the garden front and rear giving a dual aspect to the living zone, optimising natural light and improving the sense of well-being. |
| Ventilation strategy | MVHR |
| Airtightness strategy | The houses have a recycled tile roof covering over counter- battens and a taped sealed vapour permeable membrane - This is the external air tightness layer. The target for air tightness is 3m/hour/m @ 50 Pascals. Foil backed plasterboard with taped joints and a plaster finish provides a vapour barrier and the internal airtightness layer to the underside of the mid terrace attic rooms. A twin air tightness layer is necessary to prevent 'thermal bypass'.The finishes to the inside of the external walls (where they are replaced), are all wet plastered, not dry lined, to promote airtightness. |
| Strategy for minimising thermal bridges | |
| Modelling strategy | Adding SIPS panel extensions to externally insulated existing brick core. |
| Insulation strategy | Roof insulation layer. 120mm Phenolic foam overlayer, and sprayed in-situ Polyurethane foam between the existing rafters. The end terrace loft floors have 120 mm phenolic foam loft insulation, storage decking and draught sealed insulated hatches. The internal gable walls are insulated, because the mid terrace attic rooms are adjoining an unheated space.The new extensions housing the service rooms bathrooms and entrance lobbies are off-site manufactured structural insulated panels. They are 220 mm thick overall with polyurethane foam core, bonded to oriented strand board sheathing. The existing brick fabric is insulated externally with 120 mm phenolic foam fixed by adhesive and mechanical fixings. Where the external wall insulation and the SIPS panels give way to the ground level walls below damp proof course, there is a 60 mm thick vertical edge insulation layer 400mm deep against the foundation wall, protected by 50mm thick concrete paving slabs on edge. |
| Other relevant retrofit strategies | |
| Contextual information |
Building services
| Occupancy | |
|---|---|
| Space heating | |
| Hot water | |
| Ventilation | |
| Controls | |
| Cooking | |
| Lighting | |
| Appliances | |
| Renewable energy generation system | |
| Strategy for minimising thermal bridges |
Building construction
| Storeys | |
|---|---|
| Volume | - |
| Thermal fabric area | - |
| Roof description | |
| Roof U-value | - |
| Walls description | |
| Walls U-value | - |
| Party walls description | |
| Party walls U-value | - |
| Floor description | |
| Floor U-value | - |
| Glazed doors description | |
| Glazed doors U-value | - - |
| Opaque doors description | |
| Opaque doors U-value | - - |
| Windows description | |
| Windows U-value | - - |
| Windows energy transmittance (G-value) | - |
| Windows light transmittance | - |
| Rooflights description | |
| Rooflights light transmittance | - |
| Rooflights U-value | - |