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News for August to September 2005
HHP NEWS
(1) New sustainable housing development proposal near HHP
(2) Low carbon design training for building professionals
(3) HHP Technical factsheets/ Sewage treatment
(4) HHP increasingly advising projects on sustainability
(5) Hockerton Housing Project Master Classes - a practical case study of sustainability
(6) Photovoltaic Trial concludes at HHP
OTHER NEWS
(A) East Midlands New Technology Initiative (NTI)
(B) EST report reveals home emission failings
(C) Personalised CPD Programmes sent to your desk
_______________________________________________________________________________________
HHP NEWS
(1) New sustainable housing development proposal near HHP
HHP member nick Martin has submitted a planning application for a mixture of residential and live/work units on a small industrial site adjacent to HHP. The 11 unit development will meet all the energy saving standards of HHP and include a large rainwater collection and recycling system to service the whole site.
The units will all be of a modest size [40-100m2 floor areas] and incorporate 2 storey conservatories overlooking views to the southeast or southwest. Most importantly they will all be very affordable being targeted at first time buyers on modest incomes.
In detail
The proposed development consists of three elements.
(1) Demolition of an existing steel storage unit and construction of a high mass modern terrace comprising 2 single bedroom flats [40m2]; 3 live work units consisting of single flat above and flexible work space under [80m2]and a two storey 2/3 bedroom dwelling [80m2].
The units are fronted by conservatory space on both levels providing a buffer zone to the main building and a modest but significant element of living space for the occupants. The development faces southeast overlooking the organic allotment and field forming part of the HHP site. There are no gardens for the units though each has a dedicated hard surface frontage for planters/garden furnishings etc.
Dedicated parking space is provided at the north side of the building.
(2) Construction of 2 new high mass semi detached 2 storey 3 bedroom houses [90m2 excluding porch and store] with a half basement ground floor leading to sunken gardens to the front elevation. The main access to the dwellings is at first floor level which comprises the main living accommodation with the sleeping areas at ground floor level. The houses have 2 storey conservatories to the front [south east] elevation looking over the HHP field and allotment.
Dedicated parking is provided adjacent to the entrances to the dwellings.
The above elements will feature steel roofs which offer many advantages when combined very deep SIPS roof elements. The combination permits a shallow single roof pitch minimising overall height [approx 4m above existing ground level],extremely good thermal performance [U value of 0.06], maximum rainwater collection potential and low cost/maintenance.
(3) Construction of a 3 new high mass 2 storey 2/3 bedroom terraced houses [90m2 excluding porch] with a full basement, open fronted ground floor leading to small hard surfaced frontage on the front [south west elevation]. The houses are accessed from the rear elevation at first floor level leading to the main living accommodation with sleeping accommodation on the ground floor. The houses feature roof gardens and two storey conservatories overlooking a green amenity area.
Dedicated parking is provided adjacent to the houses.
All the units will meet the zero CO2/zero heating standard of construction, requiring just 20% of the energy inputs of similar size dwellings built to current regulations and only 10% of typical housing stock.
Water supply to the development will be supplied by rain water collection to a large underground storage facility and multistage filtration before delivery to point of use.
Sewage treatment will be by multistage septic tank for settlement of solids and reed bed treatment of resultant liquid effluent before discharge for irrigation purposes. This is a well tried and tested system producing a high quality end water product.
The properties will be a mix of rental and owner occupation subject to lease and ground rent. This enables the properties to be sold at cost rather than market value leading to very large reduction in purchase price.
The development proposal targets people with modest incomes living and working in the local [high housing cost] area who are unable to enter the housing market. It provides a unique opportunity for low cost and extremely energy efficient properties to be constructed in an area where executive housing to very modest energy standards is the norm.
LATEST (19/9/05) – Planning permission refused. Main grounds for refusal were:
· Outside limits of built up areas (despite 5 homes being in the immediate vicinity of the proposed site, excluding HHP properties)
· Newark & Sherwood demand analysis does not indicate a local need for small-scale development targeted to meet local needs, including affordable housing. (Expressions of interest for these homes has already exceeded the proposed available – Many of these from Hockerton villagers – clearly this sort of demand does not appear on local authority statistics! There is a chronic shortage of affordable housing in rural villages)
General point of interest: The local authority expressed a preference for housing on this site in 1989 prior to conversion of the then farm buildings to workshops!
If you would like further details contact Nick Martin 01636 812774 or email nick@mysthill4.freeserve.co.uk. If you have any comments on the proposal please contact the planning dept at Newark and Sherwood District Council, Kelham Hall, Newark, Notts.
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(2) Low-carbon design training for building professionals
Catalyse is a building practitioner training programme (funded by the Carbon Trust, and led by of Loughborough University) designed to improve the low carbon design knowledge and competencies of key building professionals. As part of the integrated programme, an inaugural workshop was held at the University of Nottingham on 28th June - Catalyse Energy Day. HHP was involved in promoting the event, facilitating the day and subsequently evaluating it success. With a focus on non-domestic sector developments & using practical case studies, this first Catalyse workshop introduced practitioners to the key aspects of:
· Integrated low-carbon & sustainable design best practice
· Compliance drivers & legislation
· Capital & whole life costing approaches
· Renewable energy & energy efficient technology integration
Presenters at the Catalyse Energy day are all leading practitioners in their fields, including:
-
Andrew Pettifer (Gifford Consulting Engineers)
-
Bill Gething (Fielden Clegg Architects)
- Duncan Child (STS Ltd),
- Camilo Diaz (WSP Environmental)
- Professor Tony Marmont (Beacon Energy Ltd).
Most delegates at the event attended because it was linked to their involvement with a design competition for the Sherwood Energy Village (SEV), Notts. However others attended to learn more about sustainable design. Overall the day was perceived by delegates and presenters to be managed effectively, and all delegates considered it to be good value for money. One delegate said, “I thought it was brilliant”. A number of delegates have as a result of attending the event decided to make changes to both their work practices and personal lives. The presentations were well received, some finding the topics a useful refresher, whereas for others it provided the latest developments on legislation and climate change. Two presentations stood out both in terms of content and presentation; ‘Climate Change, & UK/EU Policy’, and ‘The Design Process – Engineer’s Perspective’.
Next Steps
There are plans to develop Catalyse further over the coming months with involvement from HHP. This includes:
· A repeat of the Catalyse Energy Day in November 2005
· A linked Master Class based at Hockerton Housing Project – ‘Sustainability By Design’ – An in depth look at the sustainable development at HHP, including zero-heated homes and office. (January 2005 – date to be confirmed)
· A specialised Master Class based at Hockerton Housing Project where delegates consider each others specific issues & plans related to ongoing projects. This may involve additional experts being available to support HHP staff depending on the issues. (Februay 2005 – date to be confirmed)
Who should attend?
The Catalyse workshops are aimed at design team practitioners and other professionals involved in creating effective low-carbon buildings, including:
· Architects
· Building Services Engineers
· Surveyors and Commercial Managers
· Planners
· Other local authority personnel involved in the building sector
If you would like to pre-register your interest for any of the above please email Nick White at hhp@hockerton.demon.co.uk or tel 01636 816902. Places for the two Master Classes at HHP will be restricted to a maximum of 15.
For more information about Catalyse: See www.catalyse.org.uk
or
Contact Julie Allen, Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, Loughborough University, Leics LE11 3TU
Tel: 01509 227087
Fax: 01509 227118
Email: J.D.Allen@lboro.ac.uk
(3) HHP Technical factsheets/Sewage treatment
HHP has produced a new factsheet detailing how the Project manages its waste water on site through a reed bed system and includes the theory, its design, construction and performance. The factsheet can be ordered via our website - http://www.hockerton.demon.co.uk/productsservices/orderform.html
Order: TF11-Sewage Treatment
Other factsheets available:
· TF1: The Site and initial excavations
· TF2: In Construction (Choice of Materials)
· TF3: Thermal Design & Energy Conservation
· TF9: Energy Generation
· TF10: Water supply
The missing factsheets are currently in draft and will be available later this year/ early next:
· TF4: Embodied Energy – in draft
· TF5: Hot Water generation – in draft
· TF6: Ventilation & Air-Tightness – in draft
· TF7: Second fix materials – in draft
· TF8: Sunspaces – in draft
(4) HHP increasingly advising projects on sustainability
We are increasingly being asked to provide specific advice to businesses and individuals on the integration of environmental aspects into a wide range of developments. Clients have included self-builders, community groups, commercial project managers, architects, and other building professionals. The subject matter varies considerably but has included:
· Ultra low energy building design (domestic and non-residential)
· Renewable energy Systems
· Autonomous water systems
· Eco renovation
The type of advice also varies but has included:
· General verbal technical advice & suggestions during visit
· Basic assessment of pre drawn plans – either during or after visit
· Follow up reports with recommendations – these can include basic sketches/drawings to illustrate technical aspects
· Working with other specialists to provide a full design/project team
A visit usually includes a basic tour of the project homes, sustainable community building and site; if you have not been to HHP before - Otherwise the agenda for the visit is very much set by you the visitor.
Comments from recent visitors:
We were 'enlightened' and thought it was an excellent visit.
Many thanks indeed for the informative and interesting whirlwind tour yesterday, I will be assimilating the info for many months to come I believe.
The visit today was very worthwhile, and gave us plenty to think about. It was the small ideas that made the biggest impact.
Nick, "useful and worthwhile" would be, to say the least, an understatement. I got so much from my brief visit - it was a real highlight not only of my vacation, but my sabbatical. My only regret was not having more time there.
For more information
See http://www.hockerton.demon.co.uk/productsservices/ecoscope.html
Costs
Initial visit:
· Private individual/ Not-for-profit organisation/scheme = £30/hour for up to 2 persons (extra visitors at £15/hour)
· Commercial organisation/ Professional = £50/hour for up to 2 persons (extra visitors at £25/hour)
Follow-up visits/meetings/consultancy, etc: By negotiation post initial visit.
(In general though, it will be discounted for extended work and for not-for-profit schemes.)
What to do now if you are interested
Contact Nick White by email (hhp@hockerton.demon.co.uk) or phone (01636 816902) to arrange a date and agree key areas you wish to focus your initial visit on. We can then identify the most appropriate HHP Project member to act as your guide/ contact.
(5) Hockerton Housing Project Master Classes - a practical case study of sustainability
"The best seminar/workshop I've attended this year" (Martyn Gamble, Energy Efficient Design Consultancy)
· Thursday 20th October 2005 (2 places remaining)
· Thursday 17th November 2005 (15 places remaining)
These events will be of particular interest to developers, self-builders, landowners, planners, architects, buildings services engineers, and other building professionals. The ultimate in-depth understanding of HHP and related sustainable issues – see (www.hockerton.demon.co.uk/guidedtour/masterclass.html) for more details.
Other quotes from September workshop:
"I had a great day at Hockerton and have brought away many valuable ideas about how Willmott Dixon Housing can deliver more sustainable developments."(Gareth Rondell, Sustainability Manager, Willmott Dixon Housing Ltd)
“I thought the day was fantastic, from the personal greeting in the car park to the depth of understanding and passion of your team and the breadth of experience represented in the audience, there was a real sense of collective purpose. From my perspective the level and content of the material you presented was spot on, but I am not an expert. I did wonder beforehand about it being billed as a 'master class' and whether I would be completely out of my depth. I also thought that what was OK for me might be too shallow for the other 'experts' in the audience, but on reflection your project is so broad that the slice you cut through was spot on for everyone. In terms of value for money, I think you could charge significantly more. I have experienced less exciting, uninformative CPD with crap catering (your coffee was great and the lunch delicious) for 3 times as much.” (Tony wheeler, New Blue Door Ltd)
“I had a wonderful day and I'm very very glad I came.”
“It is good to see so many issues and problems addressed in reality rather than just reading about the theory. It has certainly given me plenty of food for thought in designing my own place.”
Cost
· Students = £50 + VAT = £58.75
· Individuals, and non-VAT registered organisations = £75 + VAT = £88.13
· Businesses, local authorities and VAT registered organisations = £95 + VAT = £111.63
This compares with £100-300 +VAT for similar events run by other organisations
Booking
You can book places either by:
(1) Using the website booking form see http://www.hockerton.demon.co.uk/guidedtour/bookingform.html, or
(2) Sending a cheque (payable to ‘HHP Trading Ltd’) with the appropriate amount - please mark on back of cheque the date of the event and provide an email or postal address for booking confirmation.
If you would like us to reserve places, and or HHP to invoice you, please send an email (or reply to this one) to hhp@hockerton.demon.co.uk stating how many places (and if relevant your invoice details)
Your booking will be confirmed once payment has been received or invoices issued. Directions and further practical details will be sent to you with your booking confirmation.
Events may be cancelled by HHP with 5 days notice whereupon guests will receive a full refund or offered an alternative date.
Cancellations
Any booking fee paid will not be refunded unless written confirmation is received at least five working days prior to the event, substitute delegates are welcome.
HHP reserves the right to vary the programme and cancel the event in case of insufficient bookings.
(6) Photovoltaic Trial concludes at HHP
The photovoltaic domestic field trial at Hockerton Housing Project has completed twenty four months of monitoring. The work was carried out under contract as part of the DTI Sustainable Energy Programmes.
The PV systems consists of six identical 1.275 kWp PV arrays, each consisting of 15 x BP Solar BP585 modules connected to SMA Sunny Boy SWR 1100E inverters. The peak output is 7.65 kW, or 85W peak from each of the 90 panels. The system was installed in August 2002. The Warranty is 10 years to 90% and 25 years to 80% of minimum rated power. Orientation of the buildings and the arrays is SSW. The majority of modules (76) are mounted along the conservatory parapet using flat roof mounts with an inclination of 25 deg. These are black plastic tubs filled with stone ballast. In addition 7 are mounted on each end of the development on a galvanized steel framework fastened to concrete paving slabs with an inclination of 30 deg.
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The work was carried out by ‘Wind & Sun’ with ‘Hockerton Housing Project Trading ltd’. Monitoring equipment was installed by ‘SunDog Ltd’.
The most obvious lesson learnt is that the system has proved to be very reliable with very little maintenance necessary. This is an interesting comparison to our wind turbines which although less expensive per kW installed have had more maintenance issues. Visually the PV’s have been accepted by the residence and are considered to add to the houses appearance from the front of the properties. A concern amongst residence and visitors is the embodied energy of the PV system and hence the net benefit to the environment. The electricity produced has been above the predicted system yield which gives a feel good factor to the residence.
OTHER NEWS
(A) East Midlands New technology Initiative (NTI)
Technical Development grants offer SMEs the opportunity to receive a contribution, to a maximum £5,000, from the NTI to capital fund equipment purchases that advance the use of technology within the workplace. In order to find out if you are eligible, answer the following questions:
1: Are you in one of the following business sectors?
- Construction
- Energy & Environmental Industries or a business with an energy or environmental problem or issue
- Aerospace
2: Do you fulfill two of the following criteria?
- Employ 250 people or less
- Have a turnover of less than 50m Euroes (approx £34m)
- Have a balance sheet of less than 43m Euros (approx £30m)
3: Are you based in one of the following areas?
- Derbyshire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Northamptonshire
- Nottinghamshire
- Rutland
If you answered yes to all three questions your business may well qualify for a technical development grant. There are however some conditions:
- You must enrol a number of employees onto a relevant NTI course within six months of your grant being approved
- You need to provide evidence of the source of the other 50% of the capital equipment cost
-
You agree to become a beacon company for the NTI by sharing your experiences and learning with us and which may be developed into a case study for promotional purposes
To find out more and/or get help with your application for a technical development grant, speak to the NTI network most relevant to your core business:
- Construction: Phil Sargent, 0115 848 2609
- Aerospace: Dave Stockton, 0116 257 7074
- Energy & Environmental Industries: Barri Stirrup, 01536 413085
(B) EST report reveals home emission failings
New homes are emitting on average a massive 6000 more tonnes of carbon
dioxide than they should be as a result of non-compliance with air
tightness standards, says a new report by the Energy Savings Trust (EST).
The study, which carried out by the Building Research Establishment (BRE)
for the EST, comes prior to the forthcoming announcement from the Office
of the Deputy Prime Minister on changes to the energy and conservation
requirements of buildings – Part L of the Building Regulations – for
April 2006.
"The report shows that non-complying homes emit 14 per cent more carbon
dioxide emissions than complying homes,” commented Philip Sellwood, CEO
of EST. “However, this figure is likely to be even higher, as poor air
tightness is an indication of overall poor quality construction and is
likely to have consequences in other areas of energy efficiency."
(C) Personalised CPD Programmes sent to your desk
The CPD & Events website, which brings together the CPD (Continual Professional Development) programmes of key professional institutions and other learning providers, has just launched a new service to keep those in the construction industry informed about important and relevant continual professional development.
For those working in construction and the built environment sector the website, which is managed by SECBE, already offers up a huge database of multi-disciplinary events. The system has now been upgraded to do the searching for registered users and will even send a personalised e-newsletter directly to their desk.
Registration on the website invites users to build their own personal profile, identifying up to five topics of particular interest. The system makes a selection from the hundreds of CPD events on the database and sends details of the most relevant in an individually tailored newsletter.
(We are working closely with other Professional Institutions and key industry bodies) (Professional Institutions and other key industry bodies are working together) to deliver better, cheaper and more exciting CPD – the aim being to increase uptake of learning opportunities and to create a culture of cross-disciplinary and collaborative event planning and delivery.
Register now on www.cpdevents.org.uk for Lifelong Learning for Built Environment Professionals
For further information: Tina McGeachan, Project Manager, South East Centre for the Built Environment. Tel: 0118 967 5540 or e-mail Tina@SECBE.org.uk
25th January 2006 - The CREATE Centre, Bristol
A one-day conference on refurbishment for: housing associations, housing managers, property maintenance contractors, architects, designers, HECA officers and property owners.
Covering:
- design issues
- techniques and materials to achieve practical sustainable refurbishment for public and private housing and offices buildings
- links to private sector renewal, fuel poverty and climate change
Cost: £165 inc VAT
Bookings call 01458 259400 or email admin@sustainablehousing.org.uk
Or see http://www.sustainablehousing.org.uk/seminars.html