Working for URBED, as designer, design team leader and Principal Designer, for main contractor EQUANS, on this project to upgrade an initial 50 homes in Hockley, Tamworth. Involved structural work to these “WATES” concrete panel homes, prior to external wall insulation, loft insulation with roof replacement and chimney removal, and continuous humidity-sensitive ventilation.
Working with Liam Mills of Energy Efficiency Consultants, Paul Day of Elliot Bond structural engineering, and James Woolgrove of Heritage Health and Safety, alongside Craig Goodwin Dan Sirrell and Ian Coleman and the rest of the EQUANS team.
Handed over to GCP Architects when URBED ceased trading at the start of 2023. Brief site return visit June, work completed, brief chat with 3 tenants suggested that they had experienced significant improvements in comfort and cost “didn’t have to heat hardly at all” over winter. Some technical issues proved sticky, I am aiming to get further feedback from Liam, contractor colleagues, GCP architects, and a longer visit with more conversations.
The last house in these photos was one of a type initially left out of the scheme, as its upper floor was tile hung and timber framed, and the concrete panel system was arranged differently from the typical “archetype”. It is great to see that it was possible to include it. The tenant had suffered very badly including from an ill-advised Passive Input Ventilation installation (PIV) combined with lack of ventilation to their insulated loft resulting in extreme condensation damage to stored belongings and ongoing damp and condensation in the dwelling particularly upstairs bathroom (the PIV pushes the damp air into the inevitable nooks and crannies). They had nevertheless gone out of their way to help us, and facilitated a lot of investigative works which informed our designs. I am looking forward to getting some feedback in detail over the next year.