Open day held to celebrate newly built council homes
19/09/11
The first mainstream social housing to be built in Aberdeen in over 30 years was officially opened by the City Council's Housing and Environment Convener Councillor Aileen Malone on Saturday 17 September at Bryon Court, Byron Terrace in Northfield.
The open day to mark the occasion included street entertainment, music and barbecue for the tenants of the Phase 1 developments.
The Lord Provost of Aberdeen Peter Stephen, the council's Housing and Environment Director Pete Leonard, Derek Anderson, Business Development Director and Area Construction Manager Graeme Lawrie from Stewart Milne Construction and the council's Head of Regeneration and Housing Investment John Quinn also attended.
Phase 1 sees the creation of 85 new homes; 28 at Byron Court, 30 at Hayton Road in Tillydrone and 27 at Rorie Hall in Cults.
A mixture of home types and sizes, including two and three-bedroom family properties are on offer in Northfield and Tillydrone and one and two-bedroom homes for varying needs in Cults.
Stewart Milne Construction was awarded the contract to build the Phase 1 homes and began work in March 2010. Work was completed in spring this year [2011] and the first tenants moved in earlier this month [02 September].
Aberdeen's new build council housing programme sees the creation of inspirational 21st century housing which is of high quality, sustainable, energy efficient and incorporates a degree of flexibility to meet the future needs of tenants. These developments are intended to re-generate areas and provide much needed accommodation within the city that will strengthen community spirit and enhance neighbourhood identities.
These family homes are conveniently located within walking distance of amenities, transport links and local schools ensuring the creation of sustainable communities for the future.
The new homes have been designed to encompass 5 renewable energy sources which will greatly reduce the overall running costs of the properties. These include:
- air source heat pumps;
- solar thermal panels;
- photovoltaics;
- mechanical ventilation heat recovery;
- grey water recycling (for the flats);
- rain water harvesting (for houses).
Other factors that were incorporated within the developments include:
- orientation of housing / site layout - face south if possible;
- simplicity of design - design floor plan layouts for efficiency;
- passive design instead of costly bolt-on technologies - space heating from 'passive solar gain' / natural ventilation;
- use of modern methods of construction - timber framed structure for speed / ease of construction;
- use of materials with a low environmental impact - materials with low embodied energy or sourced locally;
- super-insulate the building - walls, floors, roof and ceilings - energy efficient houses; high standard of insulation and efficient heating system;
- use airtight construction - building papers overlap and attention to detail at window ingoes so air does not escape etc in order to maximise heat retention and reduce heating bills;
- use high thermal mass where possible - concrete floor slabs and internal / external walls of high density concrete block to provide a high level of thermal comfort (heat is slowly released back);
- appropriately sized triple glazed windows - krypton filled / low-e coated;
- incorporate heat recovery ventilation unit if possible - which draws air from one area in the house to another;
- environmental issues / recycled materials - low volatile organic compound paints and recycled materials were used wherever possible.
Aberdeen City Council's Housing and Environment Convener Aileen Malone said: "Our New Build Programme is much more than simply constructing much needed homes to help alleviate housing waiting lists and reduce homelessness in the city. These 21st century homes have been built to encourage sustainable communities for the benefit of our citizens now and for future generations.
"Everyone involved in the programme must be congratulated as the standard of the build is second to none and is a first class example of how a local authority can by working together with an external partner can meet the demands of its citizens that will be the envy of others."
Bill Imlach, managing director of Stewart Milne Construction said: "With sustainability at the top of the housebuilding agenda and an ever increasing demand for quality public sector housing, the Aberdeen City Council new build programme has proved itself an industry leading initiative. The contract required incorporation of several renewable technologies, giving us an excellent opportunity to demonstrate our sustainable building credentials, and our wealth of expertise allowed us to integrate effectively the features into the design and build process.
"We worked very closely with the council throughout the design and build process of the first phase and the project will be a significant addition to our already extensive housing portfolio."
Aberdeen City Council's new-build programme (for all three phases) is being funded by the housing revenue account and £3,030,000 of the Scottish Government's Incentivising New Council House Building monies. The Oldcroft Place development has received £930,000 (£30,000 per unit) of New Build grant monies from the Scottish Government.