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Ibstock collaborates with Midland Heart on flagship carbon cutting housing project
9 December 2021
Ibstock is one of a handful of construction manufacturers supplying materials to a pioneering housing project that aims to cut carbon emissions from homes by 80%.
Project 80 is a demonstrator development being built on brownfield land in Handsworth, Birmingham for social housing provider Midland Heart. The aim of the project is to build homes that meet the government’s Future Homes Standard three years ahead of schedule.
The 12 homes – made up of two, three and four bedroomed properties - are being built largely using traditional materials, including brick. Each will be built to very high fabric standards and will incorporate a low carbon heating system. Once completed, the homes will generate 75-80% less carbon emissions than homes built to current energy efficiency requirements (Approved Document L 2013).
Ibstock is one of a number of building products suppliers collaborating on the project to improve the thermal efficiency of the properties. Birmingham City University will undertake in-depth research of the development to evidence all aspects of the design and delivery. The findings and data will be submitted to the government as part of its consultation on the Future Homes Standard – which will be compulsory for all new homes built by 2025 – thereby helping shape future policy and building regulation standards.
The bricks – Manorial Mixture – are manufactured at Ibstock's Chesterton factory, which is less than 50 miles from the new development and one of the company’s most efficient factories in terms of carbon. The bricks are being used with two different types of internal blocks providing the project with evidence on how thermal efficiency can best be improved.
“We are delighted to be involved in an innovative and collaborative project that will influence future homebuilding standards. Project 80 is putting fabric first, and the outcomes and data gathered post-occupancy will give the housebuilding sector, and its suppliers, greater understanding of how the thermal efficiency of houses can be improved in line with national carbon reduction targets. Brick is a very popular aesthetic finish for domestic properties as its design can be chosen to complement the local vernacular and offers excellent durability. Combined with improvement in manufacturing techniques, its use within this showcase project highlights the role it can play in housebuilding for years to come as a sustainable building material.”
The homes are due for completion by Easter 2022.
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