It’s official – Mid Street is UK’s first Code 5 Home! » Housing » 24dash.com

Raven Housing Trust’s Mid Street affordable housing development in South Nutfield, Surrey, has been officially confirmed as the first Code 5 scheme in the country certified as constructed, following receipt of the Code for Sustainable Homes certificates from the BRE this week. The project was also Highly Commended in the Sustainable Smaller Social Housing project of the Year category in the Sustainable Housing Awards 2008, announced on 11 November.

Mid Street was built by Osborne for Raven. It comprises two, two-bed flats that incorporate the latest building techniques, materials and energy saving features to allow tenants to live in an environmentally sustainable way.

The building envelope is made of Innovaré Systems’ Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS), which are manufactured off-site and deliver a substantial improvement in thermal performance and air tightness. Triple glazed windows, a communal wood pellet biomass boiler, and 16 PV panels on the roof all combine to achieve a 100% improvement on Building Regulations. Indoor and outdoor recycling storage facilities, rainwater harvesting, low capacity baths and restricted flow basin taps and showers are provided. The kitchens have aerated flow sink taps and, outside, there are composting bins.

Colin Mitchell, director at Osborne, said: “Mid Street is now officially the first Code 5 home in the UK and should set the example for other projects. It shows that Code 5 is not only achievable but also that it doesn’t need to be cost prohibitive or require lots of gadgets – it comes down to the fabric of the building itself. The energy consumption of the flats will be monitored to identify areas for improvement for future projects.”

Project team:
Client: Raven Housing Trust
Contractor: Osborne
Architect: Harrington Design and Bloomfield Architects
Engineer: BEP Consul
General advice and support: BRE, Watford

- Ends -

For more information contact:
Sophie Eastwood
The Holistic Group.
Tel: 07709 359 529
Email: sophie.eastwood@holisticgroup.co.uk

Sean Cahill,
Group Communications Manager, Osborne.
Tel: 01737 234391.
Email: sean.cahill@osborne.co.uk

Notes to editors:

About Osborne:
Osborne is one of the UK's leading family-owned construction, civil engineering and property services companies, with expertise in delivering projects for our clients in affordable housing, civic buildings & amenities, commercial property, education, healthcare and transport (including airports, highways and rail). Founded in 1966 by civil engineer Geoffrey Osborne, it employs over 1,000 people, has nine offices in the southern half of the UK and an annual turnover of £300 million.

About Raven Housing Trust:
Raven Housing Trust, east Surrey’s leading registered social landlord, aims to provide affordable homes and improve the communities where residents live. Raven manages more than 5,900 homes ranging from studio flats to 5 bedroom houses, sheltered accommodation for the elderly and affordable homes for key workers. It has an ambitious development programme to build more than 750 new homes over the next five years.

About Innovaré Systems:
Innovaré Systems designs, supplies and constructs on site the i-SIP (Structural Insulated Panels) building system with collateral warranties, BBA certification and NHBC approvals in place.Innovaré Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of Osborne.