A social housing project in Johnstone, near Paisley, will provide homes that are easier and cheaper to run for both landlords and tenants, thanks to an innovative technology which integrates energy saving features while reducing the time it takes to build them.
Stewart Milne Timber Systems’ Sigma II Build System, an energy efficient and technologically-advanced timber frame system, was used to build the homes. This helped to decrease the amount of heat and energy loss from the homes, while simultaneously increasing the warmth they will retain through enhanced insulation.
Stewart Milne Timber Systems was asked to help deliver a development of 33 homes owned and managed by Link Housing Association in partnership with the Scottish Government and Renfrewshire Council. The homes are the first Link Association-owned properties to achieve silver level of the Scottish Government’s 2010 Scottish Building Standards.
Designed by Bracewell Stirling Architects with the development managed by McTaggart Construction, the homes were fitted with integrated heating and ventilation systems to maximise fuel efficiency, reduce heat loss and be more economical to heat.
The Sigma II Build System uses precision engineered technology which offers registered social landlords (RSLs) and homebuilders the opportunity to achieve exceptional energy performance.
The homes, situated near Tannahill Crescent in Johnstone, will be easier and cheaper to heat, and require no retrospective or tenant-reliant devices to be fitted in future, as the buildings are already as energy efficient as possible.
With the timber frame component of the houses completed in 9 weeks, other advantages offered by timber systems include the reduced material-related costs and labour time, because the Sigma II Build Systems are manufactured offsite. This reduces many additional site processes and their associated costs, while enhancing the speed of the build programme and lowering its impact on the environment.
Alex Goodfellow, group managing director of Stewart Milne Timber Systems, said: “More and more local authorities are realising the benefits of timber systems. The Sigma II Build System is ideal for projects where costs and energy efficiency are priorities. This project achieves both these concerns while offering ongoing cost and energy advantages for tenants.”
The Sigma II Build System is one of a range of sophisticated timber systems and building products manufactured by the group in Aberdeen and Witney, Oxfordshire. The company has also helped deliver social housing projects for Thames Valley Housing and Adactus Housing Association in the past.
