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Eco homes pop up like mushrooms at Findhorn |
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8 Aug 2012, 1:56 PM
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After just three months on site, building is complete at an eco-village and social enterprise, Duneland Ltd in Moray, north Scotland. Stewart Milne Timber Systems, UK provider of timber system building solutions, supplied the basic structure for 25 new low carbon homes.
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The scheme is located at East Whins, a 16 acre site adjacent to the Findhorn Foundation Community at The Park, in the Findhorn Bay of Moray.The site is largely a brown field area left over from WWII when the RAF extended its runways into the dunes to disperse the planes in case of an attack. This resulted in extensive concrete areas as well as disturbed ground that was quarried when the runways were built. In the scars heathers and lichens create a beautiful natural cover amongst gorse and increasing tree regeneration.
The project is the latest stage in a long standing vision to create sustainable human settlements which provide solutions to human and social needs while also working in partnership with nature. To meet the brief to build 25 super-insulated homes in harmony with the environment, the construction company supplied a highly insulated building fabric, made from natural and, where possible, home-grown materials. Using solid cross-laminated timber (CLT) floors, an open panel wall construction and cassette roofs, all properties in the development incorporate very high standards of insulation and air tightness, providing an energy efficient living solution.
John Smith speaking on behalf of the company explains: “This has been a unique project for us, and one which gave us the opportunity to specify new products and meet the Duneland ethos. We used local Scottish timber for most of the structural products and supplied CLT, which came straight to site from Austria, as part of the build system.”
The Ecovillage is designed for sustainable living, comprising 13 two and three-bed terraced houses, 12 two-bed flats and six flexible units which include a community area, laundry block and workshop spaces. An ongoing commitment to sustainability is expressed through very high specification ecological houses, innovative use of building materials, and beauty in the architecture which reflects its precious dune and woodland setting. The materials for this project were all chosen for their low ecological impact, and also for their natural, visual appeal.
Designed by Glasgow-based John Gilbert Architects, the properties incorporate a range of technologies including solar thermal roof panels, air source heat pumps and recycled paper warmcell insulation pumped into the timber frame panels.
The project, which aims to set a high bar in terms of of large scale ecological and low energy construction, is due to be completed in January 2013Of the 25 units, 21 are for private use, and four are affordable homes.
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