H+H’s full-storey aircrete construction system has been used by Miller Homes to create a residence that complies with level six of the Code for Sustainable Homes
The house, which is part of the Pinnacle development of 79 homes in Basingstoke Hampshire, is constructed from 2.4m-high Vertical Elements panels made by H+H. Onto this is applied 200mm of WebberTherm PHS insulation and a 6mm WebberTherm XM render to create walls with a U-value of 0.09W/m2K.
According to the company, the construction and standard detailing, which uses thin joint technology, helps reduce the air leakage and heat loss at construction joints. The thermal mass on the aircrete envelope and internal partitions are also said to reduce the risk of overheating in summer. The larger surface areas of aircrete of the Vertical Elements panels mean fewer joints, higher levels of air-tightness and improved speed of build. According to the company, the extra costs of the homes on the development was due almost entirely to the addition of the renewable technology required, rather than the fabric of the buildings. For example, the code level six house’s monopitch single-ply roof is almost entirely covered by 38m2 of photovoltaic panels – in order to help achieve a 144% carbon emission improvement over current Building Regulations.
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