Construction secrets will be laid bare during building of the first three homes in Zethus' Global Village, to show that innovative techniques and materials have a real part to play in the future.
Visitors to the Zethus Centre will experience a whirlwind tour of the world's most innovative housing systems. At least eight homes in the centre's accompanying show village, called the Global Village, will demonstrate the latest timber, steel, concrete and composite building systems. The "test rigs", as they are known for planning purposes, will highlight particular aspects of sustainability, cost reduction or quality and represent the latest ideas from Europe, Japan, the UK and US.

The Global Village has three key functions. It provides a one-stop shop for housing professionals to explore the latest innovations. It enables manufacturers to gauge consumer response to new products, and it lets manufacturers and housing groups conduct ongoing research into new materials and building techniques. So that visitors can see how the technology works, each home must show its inner workings by incorporating an unfinished or see-through section of wall or floor.

The onus will be on viable rather than blue-sky innovation. Simon Palmer of The Palmer Partnership, the company behind the Zethus Centre, is keen to ensure prototypes do not obscure products with commercial potential. "Products have to be commercially viable otherwise there's no point in doing it.

If there is anything wacky it has to sit alongside something that works and is achievable. If we keep promoting things that are too expensive it will put people off," he says.

Partners for the first three plots have already been signed up and their homes will be built in the autumn. The lead partners of each project are Beazer Partnerships with its timber-frame Amphion technology, Celcon with its concrete Jamera system and Kingspan with its structural insulated panel Tek Haus (see boxes). All the homes will be funded by the manufacturers and their partners, together with any funding they may attract, such as Partners in Innovation grants.

A fourth test rig will be built by a consortium of around 10 Canadian companies. "It is not just about offering UK buyers Canadian timber-frame systems," says Palmer. "It is about offering solutions and components that work together." The collaboration follows the success of a similar package deal of Canadian manufacturing partners selling homes in Japan under one brand name. In fact the whole Zethus project was inspired by the way the Japanese sell homes, where buyers visit a centre with different types of dwellings on display.

A Japanese steel-frame system is being considered for inclusion in the village, as is Swedish timber frame. Once eight homes have been built Palmer will review what other types of housing should be brought to Zethus. "We need to make sure we get the product mix right," he says.

Test rig 1: Tek Haus Kingspan

The Tek Haus home at Zethus marks one of the technology’s first appearances in the UK (shown right), and fits the ethos of cost-effective innovation. The German manufacturer of timber structural insulated panels (SIPs) was bought by Kingspan a year ago. Kingspan plans to build an identical set of zero-energy semi-detached homes on a housing association development. Externally the semis will look the same as other homes on the scheme, probably with a brick exterior, but they will feature a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system, photovoltaic roof tiles, and a rainwater collection system and mini waste treatment plant from Kingspan Environmental. At Zethus, the homes’ workings will be revealed and a range of cladding systems trialled including brick slips, timber and render by Permarock and Blue Clad by Cape. “It’s a double whammy,” says Kingspan’s marketing director John Garbutt. “We will be able to monitor the homes with people living in them and show off how they work at Zethus.” Partners
Builder:
Robert Woodhead
Cladding: Permarock, Cape
SIPs: Tek Haus, Kingspan Insulation
Doors, windows and internal joinery: Arnold Laver
Mechanical ventilation heat recovery system: Baxi
Off-mains sewerage and rainwater collection systems: Kingspan Environmental

Test rig 2: Amphion Tee-U-Tec

The three-bed Amphion home (above) is built using Beazer Partnerships’ Tee-U-Tec system of timber wall panels and floor cassettes. The roof will use trusses rather than panels because many housing associations cannot yet afford to provide homes with rooms in the roof. Each external face of the house will be clad in a different material: brick and cedar; ceramic tile; hanging tile with brick; and render with brick. “The secret of prefabrication is the cladding material,” says project architect John Spence of Calford Seaden. “The hunt is on to find the cladding that is acceptable to the public and is easy and quick to apply. On this test rig we want to show that you can attach more than just brickwork to a frame.” During the home’s lifetime Beazer Partnerships will trial other systems such as vinyl, with a view to applying them to wall panels in its Torwood factory in Ipswich. “The Amphion house will be a showcase for Beazer products, in particular for councils and tenants,” says Andy McCosh, marketing director at The Palmer Partnership. “It will also put Beazer Partnerships on a world footing.” So visitors can see how Tee-U-Tec works, glazed panels will reveal the services and intersections between the wall panels and floor. Beazer Partnerships is also planning to carry out acoustic and dampness testing in the house and showcase other demonstration materials. Partners
Timber components:
Tee-U-Tec, Beazer Partnerships
System assembly: Beazer Partnerships
Groundworks: O’Hallorahans
Electrics: BMS Electricals
Plumbing: Stephen Jefferies Plumbing
Windows: Howarth Windows
Architect: Calford Seaden

Test rig 3: Celcon/Bovis

Celcon is partnering with Bovis to build a three-storey, three-bed house that demonstrates two build technologies: large block and thin-joint masonry for the walls, and Celcon’s Jamera system of concrete elements for the floors, roof and stairs. Funding for the project is being provided by a Partners in Innovation grant and the NHBC. Over a traditional brick exterior, Celcon will also be using spray-on finishes and cladding systems. But it does not want to alienate visitors with anything too experimental. “It’s important to make it look buildable,” says Celcon’s technical director Cliff Fudge. The interior will be left bare so visitors can see the blockwork and understand how the elements fit together. An open plan layout will allow Bovis to test new products such as central heating and wiring during the lifetime of the home. “The house will demonstrate a combination of masonry techniques with prefabricated systems such as the factory-built dormer windows,” says Fudge, who is hoping that the centre will give Jamera widespread exposure. “What attracted us to Zethus is the conference centre which will draw in housing professionals and the fact that as a core member we have a permanent exhibition,” he says.