Model Home 2020

A hive of activity

2011-07-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

As construction of the CarbonLight Homes nears an end the site is a hive of activity. Inside, electrical and mechanical works are almost complete, kitchens and sanitaryware are installed and decoration is at an advanced stage. External works are also progressing well, with the driveways and back gardens now complete.

The difficult task of coordinating the electrical and mechanical works with the building management system has been a steep learning curve for everyone involved, but the result will be an intelligent home that balances comfort, energy efficiency and liveability.

The CarbonLight Homes are already attracting attention as passers by get a first glimpse. Some local councillors, council officers and tenants groups have been given a brief tour with some exceptional feedback and the team is now looking forward to the official launch next month.

An exciting stage reached

2011-06-24T01:34:00.000-07:00

We have reached an exciting stage in the CarbonLight Homes project. The external scaffolding has now been taken down, revealing the innovative design of the two homes.

External works have also commenced with the rainwater-harvesting tanks now being fitted in the rear gardens and the driveway substructure laid to the front.

Inside, first fix is complete and second fix is advancing well. The staircases are due for installation next week and once completed the stairwells will be plastered and decorated. The kitchen has also been received on site and will be installed along with the sanitaryware in the next few weeks.

Warm weather ensures excellent progress

2011-05-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

The continued fine weather over the Easter weekend has allowed the team to make good progress on site and the building is now almost weathertight. The VELUX roof windows and solar collectors have been installed and the fitting of the timber shingle cladding to the rear and front elevations is complete, with the scaffold due to be taken down tomorrow.

Vertical windows are currently being installed and internal works are under way, with the partitioning well advanced.

Ductwork for the mechanical ventilation system is also being installed along with the sprinkler system and drainage. Coordination of the separate systems is crucial at this stage to ensure smooth fitting.

At this stage we really can see the project coming together.

Beginning to take shape

2011-04-05T01:29:00.000-07:00

The recent good weather has meant that the shell of the CarbonLight Homes is beginning to take shape with the timber cladding well under way. The fixing of the timber shingles to the rear elevation is nearly complete with work due to start on the front elevation once the VELUX Roof Windows and solar collectors have been installed.

Once the remaining vertical windows are installed, the building can be made weathertight with internal work scheduled to begin in mid-April.

Topping out ceremony

2011-03-11T01:16:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week we hosted a topping out ceremony at the site of the CarbonLight Homes to mark an important milestone in their construction.

The event was attended by the project partners, including Willmott Dixon, HTA Architects, North Northants Development Company and Kettering Borough Council as well as several suppliers, who saw the build team fix the final SIP roof panel in position that marks the completion of the homes' frame.

Eamonn Burns, Operations Director of Willmott Dixon, commented that construction is progressing "extremely well". The CarbonLight homes are expected to be watertight in two weeks and are back on schedule for completion in early summer, following the bad weather in January that delayed progress.

Battling the poor weather

2011-02-24T02:37:00.000-08:00

Poor weather in January has delayed the build programme for the CarbonLight Homes by two weeks, although everyone on site is working hard to make up for lost time. Besides the small delay, the build is progressing well, with the main steel frame and scaffolding now erected.

Work will now start on applying the fireproofing to the steelwork and installing the steel infill panels with the external fabric following soon after that. This is in preparation for the VELUX roof windows and solar collectors in early March.

You can now register your interest in the CarbonLight Homes to receive emailed updates. Please visit www.velux.co.uk/modelhome2020 for more information and to sign up.

Steel frames erected

2011-01-21T01:45:00.000-08:00

The New Year has seen good progress made on the homes, with the stud columns erected and fixed to the foundations and the steel frames going up on schedule. Some excavation work to reduce the level of the ground into the rear gardens has also begun.

A film crew will be on site next week and will return at regular intervals to capture stages of the build process. The film will be available on the VELUX website once the homes are complete.

Laying foundations

2011-01-04T03:29:00.000-08:00

Despite the harsh winter weather conditions that have swept the country over the past month or so, work finally began on site on 13 December and the foundations for both the three-bed and four-bed CarbonLight Homes are now in place.

Preparation has begun for the construction of the properties’ steel frames and this is set to be completed by the end of the month, in time for the frames’ installation in January.

Meanwhile, talks to involve additional suppliers are under way in the board room.

The groundbreaking ceremony

2010-09-28T01:18:00.000-07:00

Last week, we hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at the site in Rothwell, Kettering, where the two CarbonLight Homes will be built. The event was attended by the project’s partners, including HTA Architects, Willmott Dixon, Kettering Borough Council and North Northants Development Company and marked the start of the build process.

Construction will begin in the next few weeks when the public will be able to watch the build process via time-delay video on our website. Completion is expected in March 2011, when the two houses will be opened to the public for six months. They will then become the subject of post-occupancy evaluation before being sold.

Lord Best, President of the Local Government Association and Chair of the Hanover Housing Group, also attended the ceremony and we are looking forward to welcoming him back to visit the completed homes next year.

Lord Best shared his concern that “the industry is desperately lacking in the research needed to be able to produce homes that are energy efficient and promote the health of the occupant at a low cost” and added that he is “grateful to the Model Home 2020 project team for looking at the science behind it.”

Ensuring we are building to the highest possible standards of energy efficiency

2010-07-29T01:50:00.000-07:00

Ground breaking at the Model Home 2020 site has been on hold pending Grant Shapps' announcement clarifying the definition of zero carbon, in order to ensure that we don't fall short of our commitment to build to the highest possible standard of energy efficiency and sustainability.

However, now that the Minister has set out the flexible policy framework to deliver 70% carbon reductions on site with the remaining 30% being off-set, the designs are being finalised ready for building to commence.

Site preparation work nears completion

2010-06-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

In readiness for VELUX to commence with the building of its two zero-carbon homes, Bovis Homes is nearing completion of the site-preparation work, which includes the access road across the natural wildlife corridor. Building services are currently going in and hand-over to VELUX should be within a matter of weeks.

The properties, which we are referring to as 'CarbonLight Homes', will demonstrate an alternative solution to zero-carbon living; balancing the needs of the occupants with the constraints of lower carbon emissions, whilst providing homes that are a
healthy place to live.

Work is about to commence!

2010-05-20T02:34:00.000-07:00

With planning permission granted for a plot of land in the centre of the Bovis Homes Charter Park development, we are now keen to get on site with the Willmott Dixon and HTA teams and officially launch this exciting experiment.

Construction is expected to start at the end of June and, with the site currently being serviced by Bovis, the final preparations for ground breaking will soon be underway. Fingers crossed the long awaited warmer weather that has finally appeared is here to stay, so that we can make good progress towards our target completion date in early October 2010.