LIGHTHOUSE

Kingspan Off-Site to Reveal first Level 6 House at OFFSITE2007.

Kingspan Off-Site will be revealing its innovative ‘Lighthouse’ net-zero carbon home in the Big Build Innovation Park area of the BRE’s OFFSITE2007 exhibition in June, which is the most advanced house design ever produced for mainstream construction. With unrivalled levels of efficiency in terms of the construction method, energy use, CO_ emissions and carbon footprint, this high performance, sustainable home pushes the boundaries of modern housing design and is the first to achieve the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6, the standard to which all new homes should be designed and constructed by 2016.

The 93m_, two and a half storey, two-bedroom house is being designed in line with Lifetime Homes and Scheme Development Standards (SDS) and every building material and component used have been specified for its ability to optimise the house design’s overall sustainability credentials.

Lighthouse will be constructed by Chorus Group using Kingspan Off-Site’s TEK Building System. With a U-value of 0.11W/m_K and airtightness of less than 1.0m_/hr/m_at 50Pa, this high performance SIPS (Structural Insulated Panel) based system delivers very high levels of thermal insulation and airtightness, to ensure that the designed heat loss values are achieved in practice. As such, the heat loss in the Lighthouse will be reduced by around two-thirds compared to a standard new house.

This super insulated, airtight building fabric has been designed to provide generous daylight levels and includes effective solar control, together with integrated building services based around a platform of renewable and sustainable technologies designed by Arup. These include water efficiency techniques, such as low volume, sanitary ware and appliances, and rainwater harvesting, as well as renewable energy technologies, including a biomass boiler, building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) and solar-thermal array.

Lighthouse includes mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), as well as a roof-mounted wind catcher, which provides passive cooling and ventilation. A waste separation system has also been included in the house design, which enables combustible waste to be used locally in central heat and power plants.

Services in Lighthouse will be integrated with smart metering and monitoring, which records energy consumption and enables occupants to identify if any wastage is occurring, helping to promote more environmentally aware lifestyles.

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