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In 2004 the Stern review highlighted the scientific evidence that a quarter of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions came from the energy we use to heat and light our homes. Stepford Homes where tasked with building a ‘one off’ pair of houses on the new build site at Albany Road, Skegness, Lincolnshire. The pair were built to achieve the Code 4 building standard, using the latest Colorcoat Urban roof and the Colorcoat Urban Plank vertical cladding products, manufactured by Tata Steel Europe.

The Colorcoat Urban roof was chosen ahead of the traditional, more expensive roofing products in the market, giving the houses an ultra low carbon roof, therefore helping to achieve the Code 4 sustainability requirements on the Albany Road site.

Barrie Gibson, Commercial Manager for Stepford Homes said, “energy efficiency, affordability and strong aesthetics were the primary requirements for the houses. The terracotta colour roof finish fitted by Avonside Roofing North Midlands looks fantastic and is in keeping with the surrounding area. The clear sustainability credentials and a sound life performance at a highly competitive price was why we choose the Tata Steel product for the roof covering”. Roy Williams, representative of Tata Steel commented, “the terracotta roof colour was chosen because the finish incorporates special pigments for solar heat management – it helps create a cool roof which aids in reducing any local heat effects. Colorcoat Urban has also been recognized for its high sustainability by achieving A+ in the Green Guide For Sustainable Homes ”.

To the outer walls of the houses, the Tata Steel Colorcoat Urban pre-finished steel wall cladding system was specified and fitted by Avonside Roofing North Midlands, giving the houses further scope to achieve the code for sustainable homes level 4. The product uses stable colours that ensure a consistent aesthetic appearance and is ‘eco’ designed to take away any possible environmentally harmful elements, thus delivering the lowest impact on the environment without compromising performance. The Colorcoat Urban product also requires zero maintenance for up to 40 years.

Richard Bostock, Commercial Manager for Avonside Roofing North Midlands said. “we at Avonside Roofing are committed and will continue in the pursuit of working with new products and manufacturers to help the UK building industry provide innovative building solutions with sustainable products that help secure new standards in building. Working with a worldwide renowned manufacturer like Tata Steel we were able to utilise their expertise and products to the best of our ability. Having secured the opportunity to work with Stepford Homes in Skegness on such a unique pair of houses, given the challenges involved, the final outcome was even more pleasing for us at Avonside Roofing North Midlands”

Tony Burke, Avonside Group Services Managing Director continued, “we aim to cement our position as Britain’s leading Roofing Contractor. We are committed to sourcing, introducing and installing innovative and ground breaking roofing products and solutions into the UK building industry. I am therefore excited we have linked up with Britain’s leading steel manufacturer in Tata Steel (Europe) to aid Stepford Homes in achieving their aim of bringing the two homes up to code 4 build levels”.

A final word came from Barrie Gibson at builder Stepford Homes. “Whilst there were early program delivery issues with the tight schedule of works. I felt Avonside Roofing did everything they could to get the programme back on track. The commitment to delivery, the quality of work and professionalism demonstrated by the Avonside Roofing Mansfield office, showed their commitment in getting the job done right on the site and at the management and commercial levels”.

For more information about Avonside Roofing please click here to visit our home page or here to submit your enquiry.

The code is intended as a single national standard to guide the house building industry in the design and construction of sustainable homes. “As a groundbreaking project, we needed a contractor who we had a good working knowledge of. Having experienced working with Avonside Roofing on previous sites in Yorkshire, we knew exactly what we were getting. Their commercial approach, management and quality of work on site is second to none. From the day the roof drawings were released we have worked closely with the Avonside Roofing Yorkshire’s estimating team to instill best practice. Building in the Code 6 standard is so far removed from the traditional build of homes in the UK we needed to get the appointment of sub-contractors right first time” commented Bramall Project Manager Rob Seaman.
 
The 91 unit site, built for Wakefield District Housing at Park Dale, Castleford will see sustainable homes built that will benefit the environment. By reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it will demonstrate better adaptation to climate change and will reduce the impact overall on the environment. The homes will see features such as triple glazing, a heat recovery ventilation system and a unique district heating system, via an onsite wood pellet burning energy centre. The heat generated from the centre is pumped direct into each home via a network of underground heating pipes.

 
Each dwelling is also fitted with a 4kwp photovoltaic solar roof panel, generating electric power by converting solar radiation. Avonside Roofing’s Yorkshire Branch Manager Gavin Powers stated – “we fully appreciated the change from traditional build, and the need for not only roof tilers, flat roofers and lead workers but skilled photovoltaic installers as well. Our working relationship with Bramall Construction is historical, however because of the difference in build type from traditional house building we had to be dynamic and pro active in offering solutions for this unique site. Working in a rapid programme of works, and in conjunction with other local sub-contract trades, there were many challenges for Avonside Roofing Yorkshire and Bramall Construction such as getting the roof packages on budget and making sure we hit the production target set by the build schedule. By reviewing how we worked we revised how we installed the solar panels and we were able to offer a commercial advantage to Bramalls when fitting and making the Photovoltaic Panels watertight. I was fully aware of Bramall Constructions expectations of Avonside Roofing and we were pleased to be considered for such a pioneering project right on the doorstep of our Yorkshire branch.”
 
Bramall Construction’s Park Dale Site Manager Ben Neary said, “Avonside Roofing really stepped up and continue to deliver. They had up-to-the-day schedules for me and constant communications up and down the sub trade line. They had to deal with the roof tiling, lead work, solar panels and small elements of single ply flat roof installations, whilst keeping themselves  motivated and focused on Bramall Constructions pace of build, and ensuring they dealt with delivering the project on budget and on time.”
 
A final comment came from Avonside Group Services Managing Director Tony Burke added. “Avonside Roofing and its group of companies are fully committed to the use and installation of sustainable products and materials. We continue to invest and promote our specialist services in this exciting and growing market, striving to make the Avonside Group a market leader in sustainable initiatives and practices within the UK roofing industry. To continue to be working with an award winning builder in Bramall Construction and to be associated with a groundbreaking and challenging site like Park Dale, is a testament to our commercial and production management within the business. Proving that innovation can be achieved, whilst not compromising performance, and delivering an on time, and on budget scheme.”

For more information about Avonside Roofing please click here to visit our home page or here to submit your enquiry.

Paul Davies, manager of the Cannock branch, comments: "This is an exciting contract for us as we are once again involved in the installation of environmentally friendly, innovative roofing materials. We will fit around 14,350m² of Cassius tiles from Sandtoft, the first time these tiles have been used in the West Midlands. The tiles, which are of large format design and open gauge, offer material and weight savings and have the appearance of antique slate, but are in fact made from natural clay."

In addition, Avonside Roofing is installing solar technology, -  Sunwarm® - produced by The Nuaire Group based in Caerphilly. "Technicians from The Nuaire Group have trained Avonside personnel in the fitting process and highlighted the impressive benefits they offer," adds Paul.

Each 2.4m² panel is made from aluminium with robust polycarbonate covering, and Avonside Roofing is fitting two per house. The panels are in fact roof-mounted solar air heaters, featuring a special coating which absorbs solar energy. They can heat the residence by sending pre-heated air into the home or pre-heat water by directing the heated air to a water heat transfer coil. The panels can also cool the air temperature in the home if required and filter particles from the air, which may be good news for sufferers of allergies such as hay fever.

"Unity is a mixed development, comprising three storey and two storey houses and flats which have mono and pitched roofs," says Phil Marshall, Haslam Homes Project Manager. Phil continues: "We have worked with Avonside Roofing before and the project is going well, with Avonside applying its roofing expertise to lead work, dry verge, wet verge, flashings, tiling and panel installation. Wolverhampton Council owned the site originally and determined that any development would need to provide eco-homes and include affordable housing. Our response to the Council’s criteria included sustainable solutions like Nuaire's Sunwarm® technology and Avonside Roofing's demonstrable track record in working with innovative products and commitment to building homes for Bromford Group, the well known, local housing association."

This is the first time that Bromford Group has 'partnered' with Haslam Homes and the relationship is proving to be very successful. Steve Swann, the Bromford representative at Unity, explains: "Affordable housing is a vital element of the overall housing stock and here we will provide thirty two, two and three bed homes. Twenty three will be for social rent while the balance will be shared ownership. We are delighted to offer our tenants the opportunity to live in houses which achieve that balance of being environmentally friendly and also desirable."

Avonside Roofing is a major roofing contractor operating throughout the UK, providing roofing services for the major house builders, contractors, local authorities and housing associations. Paul McLoughlin, Avonside Roofing National Sales & Marketing Director, comments: "We recognise our responsibilities to assess and minimise the impact of our business operations on the environment and to prevent pollution. As part of this we are enthusiastic about working with materials and solutions which support our environmental commitment. We are therefore particularly pleased to be working on this Haslam Homes' development as it allows us to work with Sandtoft's natural clay tile, which is sourced from one of their local reserves, and Nuaire's Sunwarm® technology, which has the capabilities to not only heat a property and the water supply but also cool the home environment and improve the air quality too. We look forward to continuing to work on similarly exciting projects in the future as customer expectation and legislation drive the environmental agenda."

For more information about Avonside Roofing please click here to visit our home page or here to submit your enquiry.

Personnel from Avonside Roofing, including Peter Baker (contracts manager) underwent the Solarcentury training program before overseeing the fitting of the C21e solar electric roof tiles. "The tiles integrate with traditional tiles and so offer an aesthetically pleasing finish," comments Peter, who adds  "The photovoltaics, each the width of four normal tiles, are joined electrically via straightforward push-fit connections following the plan supplied by Solarcentury."

Solarcentury and Avonside Roofing have worked together before and it was that experience which prompted Solarcentury to recommend Avonside to McGoff & Byrne, the main contractor on the project. Angus Campbell of Solarcentury explains: "Our relationship with Avonside Roofing began because the national coverage offered by its branch network complemented our need for a contractor with the depth and spread of resource to be a strategic partner. Exposure to its business practices, expertise and enthusiasm for appropriate, added-value innovation made it clear to us that Avonside was a good fit in terms of our aspirations and long-term objectives. When McGoff & Byrne asked us to suggest a contractor to install our photovoltaic tiles at The Kettleby Cross, we recommended Avonside Roofing."

Peter Baker and his colleagues laid a total of eighty photovoltaic tiles. These feature a dark, SunPower PV laminate and do not require direct sunlight to generate energy. Their interlocking design allows them to integrate with traditional roof tiles without the need for specialist flashings. The on-site electrician then wired up the system internally and Solarcentury did a final check.

Electrical energy travels from the photovoltaic tiles to an inverter which converts the DC current to AC. The electricity then passes via a fuse box and metering system and is supplemented by power from the grid as required. The photovoltaic tiles have a power warranty of twenty years and, based on eighty tiles covering 31.2m², can yield up to 3320kWh per year.

Essex-based RJD Architectural Design & Project Management came up with the concept of the Kettleby Cross being energy efficient and developed the design and specification, even going as far as taking the photovoltaic tiles to the local planning department to alert them to their properties. The outcome of its endeavours is that the Kettleby Cross features a wealth of green technology.

"This includes energy-efficient LED lights, a roof-mounted wind turbine, sun pipes which reflect sunlight into internal areas, a harvester of rainwater for the flushing of toilets and ground-sourced heating," says Chris Large, New Developments Consultant at J D Wetherspoon. "This flagship pub is a benchmark for us and we will look to deploy the most effective technologies at other pubs in the future. I also expect that our competitors will also keep a weather eye on our progress to inform their own response to the public and legislative expectations concerning carbon footprints and conservation."

Britain's first truly green pub felt the impact of Britain's truly unpredictable weather. The torrential rains of last summer which resulted in serious bouts of flooding also delayed completion of The Kettleby Cross. However, in typical British fashion, this simply led to all involved parties working even more closely together as if to declare their defiance to the elements.

Gavin Powers continues; "I am delighted that we at Avonside Roofing have had the opportunity to play a key role in this project for a number of reasons; It underscored our environmental and innovation credentials and strengthened our relationship with Solarcentury, whose product blends well with the Lafarge mini stonewold tiles and dry ridge and hip systems we fitted. This contract has also seen Avonside Roofing increase its involvement in the installation of green products. The company has not only achieved national installer status with Solarcentury, it has also been invited to play a role in product development. It has expanded our customer base into a new arena too – public houses - and allowed us to showcase our pitched and flat roofing expertise on what is a flagship building in terms of both the surrounding community and green building evolution."

For more information about Avonside Roofing please click here to visit our home page or here to submit your enquiry.