黑洞社区

Though photographs of Osborne鈥檚 new demonstration house may suggest otherwise, the company never does things by halves. Pushing the boundaries of sustainable housing, the show home offers superb environmental credentials. It exceeds current Part L requirements on carbon emissions by 40% and requires only one third of the energy for heating and cooling a house constructed to the 2006 黑洞社区 Regulations. The speed and ease with which Osborne鈥檚 brainchild can be built means it is also readily affordable, meeting the needs of the social housing sector.

Founded in 1996, and with nine regional offices through the south of England, Osborne Homes is a provider of innovative, quality social housing.

The company works exclusively with Registered Social Landlords (RSLs). It delivers a wide range of services for RSLs, including land location, new build, regeneration and refurbishment, and maintenance secured through both contracting and partnering procurement methods.

In the past ten years, the business has delivered 2300 new homes through 82 projects, for 29 RSLs and 36 employers agents, throughout London and the South East. Osborne鈥檚 demonstration house is the fourth to join the 黑洞社区 Research Establishment鈥檚 (BRE) Innovation Park. Based in Watford, the park has been designed to showcase the latest innovative technologies for buildings and the built environment.

Life in the fast lane

Construction began on 1 March 2006, and was completed by mid-June. Unbelievably, the external wall shell, which is made using Jabhouse鈥檚 Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) system, was erected in a single day.

Key to the realisation of the Osborne demonstration house was the deployment of modern methods of construction. A zinc and slate clad cassette roof, which does not require trusses or rafters, was employed alongside timber I beam floor joists. Door sets and bathroom pods were also manufactured off-site.

MK Electric鈥檚 pluggable Flexible Wiring System ensured speed and ease of installation for the electrical services. The first fix was completed within two days, and the second within hours, utilising pluggable MK wiring devices and consumer unit.

On completion of testing, the system and connectors were proved to be 100% fail safe, with 0% snagging, completely removing the need for remedials and return visits.

Paul Ensch, director of Innovare Systems, a joint venture between the Osborne Group and Vencel Resil, is positive about the benefits conferred by MK鈥檚 solution. He says: 鈥淭his is a system that is going places. Innovation is a driver for us, and this is a very simple idea that is safer, faster and will prove a superb element in the overall development of modern methods of construction.鈥�

The house has been designed with a flexible layout in mind. This will allow for straightforward modification of the internal configuration and simple adaptation to accommodate changes in occupants鈥� mobility needs as they grow older. Facilities in the house include an inter-floor wheelchair lift.

Eco chic

The design consultants, Baily Garner, WSP and Tully De鈥橝th, incorporated a number of energy saving measures into the building.

Its strong focus on energy efficiency is achieved through very high levels of insulation (walls have U-values of 0路15 W/m2K or better), under floor heating, solar hot water heating and a heat recovery ventilation system.

The demonstration house sits within landscaping designed to promote local wildlife. It has been awarded an EcoHomes excellent rating, which was presented during the official opening ceremony last September.

BRE and the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) are presenting a range of ground-breaking, full scale demonstration buildings at the Offsite 2007 exhibition and conference, which takes place at BRE Watford and runs from 11-14 June.

The Osborne demonstration house will remain in place on the BRE Innovation Park for two years. Throughout that period, visitors are welcome to come and look around for themselves.