Sustainable Housing Code
Cracking The Sustainable Housing Code
A £2m prestige housing project, with views of the Angel of the North, Lumley Castle and Durham Cathedral, is set to achieve unprecedented status by becoming the first development in the North East to gain the highest possible accreditation, under the Government’s ‘Code for Sustainable Homes’.
With the project attracting increased interest because of its ambitious aspirations, Marshall Robertson Associates Ltd, hopes that the development in Great Lumley, on the outskirts of Chester-le-Street, will meet all of the ecological and environmental criteria, laid down in order for newly built homes to qualify for the highest sustainability rating – Code level 6.
In October this year, work began at High Farm Rise and construction of the first two of four luxury detached houses, planned for the site, is expected to be completed in April 2009.
One of the houses is being retained by the developers as a family home, another has already been sold “off-plan” and the remaining two are to be put on the open market.
The Code for Sustainable Homes, set up in 2007 by the Department for Communications and Local Government, laid the foundations for greener housing in response to research which revealed that our homes account for around 27 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions – widely believed to be a major cause of climate change.
The Code sets minimum standards for new builds at each level; the nine benchmark features being: energy and CO2 emissions, water use, materials, surface water run-off, waste, pollution, health and well-being, management, and ecology.
Builders opting to incorporate a specific feature are awarded points which are added together to form the basis of a hotel-style rating system.
At the highest Code rating, qualifying homes will have been awarded over 90 per cent of the points available, and they would be expected to be highly sustainable. Over the course of a year, their net carbon emissions would be zero.
Since May 2008 all new homes are required to have a Code rating on a scale of 1 - 6 and a Code certificate which has to be included within the Home Information Pack (HIP).
According to the Government publication ‘Greener Homes For the Future’:
“Code homes are built to the standards set in the Code for Sustainable Homes. They are more energy and water efficient, produce fewer carbon emissions and are better for the environment.”
“Code homes also encourage their owners to live a more sustainable lifestyle and are built in a more efficient way, using materials from sustainable sources. This creates less waste and also means Code homes have lower running costs.”
The project at Great Lumley was first conceived about 9 - 12 months ago when the developers visited the Oriental Spa at Seaham. Drawing inspiration from the entrance to the Spa, which has a magnificent glass atrium over three floors they started thinking how they could apply the same principles to home building.
They discovered that, when you walk into the Spa, the initial overwhelming feeling is one of height and space created by the light and airy floor to ceiling view which greets you.
The spokesperson for Marshall Robertson Associates says:
“Visiting the Spa was a defining moment, as you walk in there is a natural tendency to lift your head, breathe deeply and feel good.”
“When they got home, they did some preliminary drawings and decided that they should build their own house again; but this time to fully incorporate ecological principles into the project. What they envisaged was a utilization of the aesthetic elements of the Spa design which they liked, whilst not compromising on practicality and sustainability.”
“They have previously undertaken a building project, but not on this scale; a few years ago they renovated a farmhouse near Consett, enduring a winter in a caravan with their two-week-old baby. This time around the desire to build to such a high sustainability standard has presented its own particular challenges.”
After carrying out further research, it was discovered that the Oriental Spa had been designed by award winning architects, Napper, based in Newcastle and they made an appointment to see them immediately. While at the time of the first meeting they did not have a plot of land, they had the seeds of an idea and having gained some encouragement and advice from the architects at Napper, set about looking for suitable land to develop.
As it happens their chance came quicker than expected. About two weeks later a building plot drew their attention. They were living about three miles away from Great Lumley and whilst searching on the internet they found the High Farm site on the ‘Plot Finder’ website.
Although the plot wasn’t being advertised publically or through an estate agent, the developers had an idea where it was, went along and popped a note through the door saying they were interested.
The plot, which had an existing farm house, had outline planning consent for the demolition of the farmhouse and development of two new houses. However, when their architect first visited the site it became apparent that there would be sufficient space to accommodate four new detached houses. So, new plans were drawn up and submitted to the local planning authority, Chester-le-Street District Council.
The developers freely admit that from this point forward, the project could have spiralled of control very easily; relative inexperience coupled with the complexities of the build and the self-imposed standards required to achieve a level 6 code rating, may well have been too much, had it not been for their dogged determination, ability to ‘learn on the fly’ and a willingness to seek the professional help available from a variety of sources, including the Council.
Their spokesperson says:
“The planners at Chester-le-Street District Council have been absolutely fantastic from the beginning. They were involved at an early stage and have worked with professionalism and also a good sense of humour; something which has been essential in moving this complex project forward so quickly.”
“One of the areas in which the planners helped to clarify, concerned the question of demolition of the existing farm house. Because recycling and renovation was very much at the forefront of the developers’ minds at the inception, avoiding complete demolition of the existing farmhouse was considered.”
“But, having carried out a feasibility study which looked at whether it could be could be modified, in order to sit favourably with the remainder of the development, they found that they may end up being stuck with many of the existing features which would just not fit in.”
“The planners agreed and were actually much happier that the farmhouse be demolished and that its replacement would have the same characteristics as the other three houses – a mixture of white render and features taken from the Seaham Spa such as the tall thin wooden windows”
According to Marshall Robertson Associates, another crucial factor in getting the project up and running so smoothly has been the involvement of Queensberry Design Ltd, an engineering consultancy based near Morpeth.
“Involving Queensberry gave us access to a whole team all in one place – if we needed to speak to a structural engineer or to an architect for example, they were just a phone call away. When the practical aspects of complying with the Code became a full time job, a decision was made to bring in Mark Paylor, Queensberry’s managing director.”
“Mark has responsibility for overseeing the running of the site, making sure materials are delivered to site on time and that everything is being done as it should be.”
“We also have an excellent principal building contractor in G.Y.M. construction, from Meadowfield. They are a real asset and as Masterbond Members of the Federation of Master Builders, we are confident that these houses will be constructed to a very high standard.”
“By using local builders and locally sourced materials as a matter of policy, the carbon footprint is also minimised, whilst at the same time the project supports local tradesmen and the local economy.”
Although the development consists of four luxury homes of at least 4/5 bedrooms, the theme is very much simplicity in both design and construction. The plans reveal a non-glamorous approach to prestige house-building with the developers’ vision being one of creating plain, simple, calm and light family homes.
All of the houses on the site will have wooden floors and under-floor heating; leading to an estimated annual heating bill of only £50 due to the airtight construction of the building itself. Other common features will include solar panels and rainwater harvesting, resulting in the water collected being filtered and brought back into the house. The developers are also currently looking at wind powered generators.
Building to such exacting requirements, has its own unique problems. So, weekly site meetings have become a permanent feature of the build, bringing together all of the principals involved to discuss potential issues and prevent work being carried out which does not meet the high standards set by the Code.
While there is an obviously genuine desire on the part of the developers to complete the project on time and in budget, work has already been stopped once, albeit temporarily, during the first five weeks since construction started, in order to ensure compliance with the Code for Sustainable Homes. The developers’ spokesperson explains:
“In order to maintain the strict ecological principles which underpin this project, every single waking moment is spent on considering the environmental aspects. For example, the foundations could have been completed weeks ago had this been an ordinary build.”
“The cement was ordered and about to be delivered, when it was realised that the cement/aggregate ratio normally used for foundations was not compatible with the Code for Sustainable Homes at level 6. Work stopped briefly so that everyone involved fully understood what was required”
“There have been some high points, as well – at one point an unstable boundary wall was causing some concern - that’s where the enormity of the project hits you. Everyone was having sleepless nights until it was stabilised by underpinning. When you go back on site and find that it has all been sorted out, you can breathe again.”
“The code puts a lot more pressure on the developer, because from foundations all the way up, you have to have the ecology side at the forefront of your mind. Even the site office has recycling and waste management systems in place. So far, 3,000 tonnes of earth has been ‘creatively’ redirected to other areas within the site. Excess hardcore has also been removed by a specialist recycling company, taken away and used on other construction projects. At this stage, therefore, the project can proudly boast that it has zero waste”
“All this comes at a cost, in terms of time and money; put bluntly it has been a bit of a nightmare and there’s a long way to go yet - if you want to make life hard, build four houses – even harder go for four houses at Code level six.”
To enquire about the development, contact:
Further information on the Code for Sustainable Housing is available at
www.communities.gov.uk/thecode
By Holly