185 HOMES SHIPPED FROM YORKSHIRE TO BRISTOL

Planning consent has been granted for Legal & General Modular Homes to build 185 homes in Bristol – after they are shipped in from a factory in Yorkshire.

The scheme, which has been developed in conjunction with Bristol City Council, will see two-, three- and four- bedroom houses along with one- and two-bedroom apartments developed on land at Bonnington Walk in Lockleaze.

Half the homes will be affordable housing and it is intended that these become part of Bristol City Council’s affordable housing stock.

All homes have been designed to achieve an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) “A” rating, a standard met by only about 1% of new and existing dwellings in England and Wales, and the site master plan has been created which will deliver a net biodiversity gain following the development of this site.

Legal & General’s modular housing business has continued to grow, now employing more than 300 team members. Since May 2020, it has secured planning approval for nearly 350 homes, as it moves towards delivering 3,000 homes a year at maturity.

From its factory in Sherburn-in-Elmet in Yorkshire, Legal & General Modular Homes is providing an innovative approach to the design, production and construction of homes, driving up quality, efficiency and productivity to deliver highly energy efficient sustainable homes.

At Bonnington Walk, Legal & General will deliver a full development proposition; from buying land, developing the product and managing the planning application through to delivery.

Worth an estimated £40billion to the UK, the modular construction sector is transforming and helping standardise the way homes are built.

With the importance of quality housing having been emphasised over successive lockdowns, modular construction is offering an impactful solution, supporting UK jobs and helping to meet the Government’s objective to build more affordable, carbon-friendly housing, Legal & General said.

 

 

Legal & General’s modular housing factory offers multi-skilled employment opportunities, including across design, finance, engineering, procurement, construction and production.

The Bonnington Walk scheme has been brought forward in collaboration with Bristol City Council and consulted on widely by the community.

It represents an important new development in Bristol where Legal & General already has a significant interest through a £240million stake in the regeneration of Temple Quarter, a “build-to-rent” development and a proposed major mixed-use scheme on Temple Island.

Together with Bonnington Walk these schemes provide a springboard for a long-term partnership with Bristol City Council, helping it deliver a large proportion of the 16,000 new homes required across the city, Legal & General emphasises.

As well as providing much-needed homes, the proposed development at Bonnington Walk will see improvements made to adjoining areas of the site as part of a long-term plan for investing in Lockleaze.

New allotment patches and accessible green open space will be introduced to complement the existing community orchard, a new local community hub will be built, and walking, cycling and road improvements will be made.

William has more than a decade’s experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West.

Rosie Toogood, chief executive of Legal & General Modular Homes, said:

“Using modular construction, Legal & General will be able to deliver much needed, high quality and sustainable homes that are affordable in half the time of traditional methods.

“In a post pandemic environment, the availability of affordable homes – set within beautiful open spaces – which create a well-connected local community will be more important than ever before.

“Our journey to revolutionise the UK’s construction industry is well underway, and planning consent at Bonnington Walk, Bristol is testament to this.

“With planning permission for 350 homes this year, the business is making great steps forward. This Bristol scheme, along with our consented scheme in Selby, will really showcase the benefits of modern modular construction.”

Cllr Nicola Beech, cabinet member for strategic design and city planning at Bristol City Council, said: “I’m pleased that members have voted to approve planning permission for affordable housing at Bonnington Walk. The development will provide a boost to biodiversity in the area, including making a contribution towards a new allotment.

“As part of the Bristol Housing Festival and Innovate UK project, this new scheme proves that by doing things a little differently we can deliver much-needed affordable, sustainable new homes in Bristol.”

 

Source: Business Live

 

 

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AIR POLLUTION – ‘Architects can do better’

India has the world’s worst air pollution. Home to 21 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities, its toxic air kills more than one million people each year.

That’s partly because the South Asian nation is the world’s second largest brick producer. Brick kilns — which account for 20% of black carbon emissions globally — make a significant contribution to its terrible air.

Indian architect Tejas Sidnal was shocked to discover the construction industry’s role in the pollution crisis. “That was a crazy eye opener,” he says. “As architects, we are responsible for so much air pollution. We can do better.”

Determined to make construction more sustainable and tackle India’s air pollution, Sidnal launched Carbon Craft Design in 2019. The startup takes black carbon extracted from polluted air and upcycles it to make stylish, handcrafted building tiles.

The air shrouding India’s cities often contains dangerously high levels of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, which has been linked to lung and heart disease and can impair cognitive and immune functions. In 2019, New Delhi declared a public health emergency after suffering record levels of smog.

PM2.5 includes black carbon, a substance which can absorb one million times more energy from the sun than carbon dioxide in the days or weeks it stays in the atmosphere.

Reducing pollutants such as black carbon could help slow global warming and improve air quality, experts say. Many companies are exploring the commercial potential of capturing carbon dioxide emissions, but few are focused on black carbon, according to Sidnal.

“We found a way to add value to this recovered carbon by using it as a pigment in carbon tiles,” he says.

Building with pollution

To create the carbon tiles, Carbon Craft Design partnered with Graviky Labs, an Indian company that previously created “Air Ink,” a technology that captures carbon soot from cars and factories, and converts it into ink and paint.

This mural in Hong Kong was painted by the artist Caratoes, using Graviky Lab’s “Air Ink.” Credit: courtesy caratoes

Carbon Craft Design’s floor tiles, made with black carbon extracted from dirty air, could help to combat India’s air pollution crisis. Scroll through to see other technologies that could transform the construction sector: Carbon Craft Design

Graviky Labs uses a filter device to capture carbon soot from diesel exhaust and fossil fuel generators, removes contaminants such as heavy metals and dust from the soot, and gives the purified carbon to Carbon Craft Design in powder form.

 

 

 

 

 

“Graviky Labs views pollution as a resource,” company founder Anirudh Sharma tells CNN. “We are one of only a few companies in the world to capture these carbon emissions and turn them into new materials.”

Carbon Craft Design mixes the captured carbon with cement and marble waste from quarries to produce monochromatic tiles. Sidnal says the company aims to ensure each tile contains at least 70% waste material. It sells the tiles to architects and retailers for $29 per square meter — a high price compared to regular ceramic tiles.

 

As the company scales up production, Sidnal hopes to lower prices and produce a cheaper range of carbon tiles. “We want to hit the affordable sector,” he says. “Sustainability is not only for the elite.”

Carbon Craft Design uses a hydraulic press to mold carbon, marble and cement into a monochromatic tile. Credit: Carbon Craft Design

Since launching its first tiles a year ago, Carbon Craft Design’s customers have included global fashion brands and architecture firms in India. In November 2020, the company retrofitted an Adidas store in Mumbai, covering the walls and the floor with its carbon tiles.

Architect Manan Gala, whose firm Bombay Contractors designed the Adidas store, describes the carbon tile as a “winner” for the construction industry. As well as being sustainable, “the product has better strength than conventional cement tiles due to the carbon content, and the raw and rustic feel adds to the overall charm,” he says.

Carbon Craft Design is currently raising investment and hopes to start distribution in Europe this year, says Sidnal, adding that “we are swamped with inquiries from in and out of India.”

 

Source: CNN

www.carboncraftdesign.com

 

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THE LARGEST WINDFARM IN THE WORLD

SSE Renewables, together with its 50:50 joint venture partner, Equinor, has reached financial close on the first two phases of what will be the world’s biggest offshore wind farm.

The two companies are proceeding with the first two phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, a ground-breaking project off the north east coast of England which, once all three phases are complete in March 2026, will be the largest in the world.

Each phase has a capacity of 1,200MW and will generate around 6,000GWh annually. In total, Dogger Bank will produce enough clean, renewable electricity to supply 5% of the UK’s demand, equivalent to powering six million UK homes each year.

The funding of the development of Dogger Bank A and B represents the largest ever offshore wind project financing anywhere in the world and SSE’s expected equity investment forms part of its £7.5 billion investment programme to March 2025, the renewables element of which will double its renewables output by 2025.

Total investment in the first two phases of the project will be around £6 billion and has already secured the creation of 320 new skilled jobs for the North East of England associated with the development and operation of the wind farm, with more to come as construction ramps up.

 

 

 

Dogger Bank Wind Farm is the largest of SSE Renewables’ projects currently in construction. SSE Renewables is currently also leading the construction of the Seagreen offshore wind farm (1,075MW, SSE Renewables share 49%), which will be Scotland’s largest on completion, and the wholly-owned Viking wind farm (443MW), the UK’s most productive onshore wind farm. Together these flagship renewable energy projects are driving SSE Renewables’ significant growth to 2025 and demonstrate the quality and value of its development portfolio.

Alistair Phillips-Davies, SSE Chief Executive, said: “We are proud to be leading on the construction and development of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which has been 10 years in the making. We are putting our money where our mouth is on delivering net zero and reinforcing the UK’s position as a world leader. This investment will help drive a green recovery from coronavirus through the project’s construction over the next five years, creating jobs and boosting the local economy.

“Achieving financial close for the first two phases of the world’s largest wind farm is a huge accomplishment and, alongside reaching Seagreen 1 financial close earlier this year, represents significant progress towards achieving our goal of trebling our renewable output by 2030.”

Pål Eitrheim, Equinor EVP of New Energy Solutions, said: “Reaching financial close on the two first phases of Dogger Bank is a major milestone, demonstrating our commitment to profitable growth within offshore wind. The extensive interest from lenders, underpins the attractiveness of UK offshore wind assets and confidence in SSE and Equinor. As the wind farm’s future operator, we are proud to take this big step forward in delivering what will be the backbone of a growing wind hub in the North Sea. Through the sheer scale of the project we have delivered record-low contract prices for the UK market, and as operator of the wind farm we will continue to deliver value to the UK for years to come.”

 

www.sse.com

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