Hit for six

Could this be the bricks and mortar equivalent of rubbing it in? Reflected on the striking metal and glass-fronted homes in front of me are the suddenly very ordinary looking traditional homes opposite. In another act of one-upmanship, shiny metal turrets turn on the wind as they survey Upton, a 1,000-home development on the edge of Northampton.

The fronts of these six houses, two of which are for social rent, consist entirely of full-length windows. They are topped with solar panels, a green roof and the aforementioned wind turbines. This is the first commercially built housing development to hit level 6 of the code for sustainable homes, and I am the first journalist to see how they’ve done it.

You might expect that the most eco-friendly social housing ever built would be unveiled with some fanfare. Instead, its landlord Metropolitan Housing Partnership has kept the launch surprisingly low key until now because it wasn’t sure the scheme would hit the highest eco-level until official confirmation of its green credentials arrived.

Maggie Lynch, development manager at MHP, explains: ‘We held off bringing it to the public in case there were more hurdles. It was very onerous and we didn’t want to go public until we were sure.’

Plans for these homes to hit the highest eco-levels were in place two months before the code for sustainable homes was officially launched in April 2007. Work began in earnest after regeneration agency English Partnerships, as it was then, agreed to the plans in June.

Being the first to reach level 6 has been tough for MHP. The Building Research Establishment, the body which awards code levels, was vigilant in ensuring every box was ticked. In fact, the MHP team says that proving the homes green credentials was harder than installing the eco-technology in the first place.

‘Paperwork and more paperwork,’ is how Ms Lynch describes the process. ‘It is the documentation and referencing back that is hard, not just the onsite stuff. The team found it difficult and it is a real achievement.’

Over the next two pages discover the details - from wind turbines to wood pellet boilers - that make this the greenest social housing in the UK.

In depth:

Empty space

The most appealing thing about these homes - apart from the miniscule energy bills you would expect - is the sunspace at the front of each one. An airy conservatory-like area over two floors comes decorated in egg-yolk orange with gunmetal grey windows and lots of exposed pine. The effect is modern and inviting, and the space acts as a temperature control by absorbing warmth when sun is scarce. In summer, orange blinds shield the homes from the heat. Residents can use the sunspace however they wish - the bottom floor has a couple of bike hangers and a pull-out clothes line, while the area on the top floor leads off the master bedroom. ‘We’ll be interested to see how people use it,’ says Matt Bush, head of environmental sustainability at MHP. But not, as someone points out, as a dressing room: anyone on the street - or in the homes across it - would have a great view.

Up in the air

MHP worked with Zedfactory, the eco-architecture firm founded by Bill Dunster which was behind Bedzed, the first large-scale zero carbon development in the UK.

The Upton houses are clearly Bedzed’s younger relative, with the same iconic wind cowls on the roof to suck stale air out of the homes and replace it with fresh. The cowls are a success - but the team isn’t so sure about the wind turbines, which are renowned as poor performers in urban areas. ‘There are other issues - they are so close to the wind cowls that you get buffeting, for example,’ says Ms Lynch. The circular turbines may be coming down soon if they don’t perform.

The south face of the roof is also entirely covered by photovoltaic panels, which capture the sun’s energy and turn it into electricity; and solar thermal panels, which heat water for domestic use. ‘The PV definitely works well,’ says Ms Lynch. ‘A consultant said that this configuration of solar panels and PV was one of the best arrays he had seen.’

The living sedum roof arrived in two parts - as a ‘green roof’, with plants already growing heartily, and a ‘brown roof’, with seeds in the soil, waiting to germinate. Now the two parts look indistinguishable: a soft mossy covering that will provide extra insulation, boost biodiversity and help slow water run-off to help prevent flooding. Just under the eaves some wooden struts look like they might help to support the roof - but small holes in the wood reveal that they are actually homes for bats.

What next?

MHP is working with Northampton Council to use the choice-based lettings scheme to match its development’s two social homes with eco-enthusiasts. ‘We want people who want to live in this type of house,’ says Erica Davies, regeneration manager at the HCA.

There is a user-guide, simplified as much as possible, to help the residents use the house in the right way. For example, windows should not be opened even in the height of summer, as the house should self-regulate temperature and fresh-air will flow in through the mechanical ventilation system.

However, as Mr Bush points out, the leaflet will also be a useful read for MHP staff. The project has also provided a learning curve for builders, who have had to get to grips with concepts such as airtightness and why that means you can’t drill holes wherever you want.

MHP also hopes to learn from the project and disseminate that information. The plan is that the University of Northampton will be helping to monitor six of MHP’s houses at Upton, including three of these level 6 homes. A vital part of that research will be talking to tenants. ‘We need to make sure that what we are doing is informed by a real audience,’ says Mr Bush. ‘Otherwise, any mistakes will be made on a bigger scale in the future.’

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