The UK first ever eco village, Hanham Hall project, located in Bristol will be built by Barratt homes and designed by HTA Architects and is to consist of over 200 houses, all of which are set to have a 100% improved energy performance, compared to existing UK building regulation standards.

This super energy efficiency rating will be achieved by the use of basic fabric which is highly insulated, insulated doors and trible glazed windows.

All houses have their living spaces facing south to take advantage of natural light and warmth and the bedrooms facing north to help them stay cool in summer.

The houses also have thermal mass in the ground floors and in the wall linings, and mechanical ventilation which works overnight to introduce cool night air into the fabric. The homes are built from factory made elements which minimise waste and which are energy efficient to produce and build.

Walls are Kingspan TEK SIPS (structural insulated panels) made from two layers of Oriented Strand Board with urethane insulation between to make a rigid structural panel.

Windows will be made of high specification timber and cladding will be a mixture of render and timber cladding from sustainable sources. Recycled materials will be used in the foundations and in the road construction. The sound reduction of the construction is better than the current building regulations.

The heating and electricity are provided by a zero carbon biomass combined heat and power plant (CHP). This will be backed up by a connection to the grid and gas boilers. The CHP produces 100kWe and 255kWh. The heat and electricity is delivered to the homes via a private heat and power network, this may be extended beyond the boundary of the project to other homes or businesses.

The homes will use recycled rainwater, collected from the roof, stored underground, and pumped into the washing machine and WCs. This, together with other measures, reduces the average family water use by approximately 47%, from 150 litres per person per day to 80 litres per person per day.

Existing ecology will be protected during construction and the new landscape is designed to enhance and improve the local wildlife and where existing buildings are demolished, the materials will be crushed and reused onsite.

Source: Building.co.uk