See how Base Energy are working with Abode Architects on a new site in Oldham!

Plot 1, Laureates Place, Saddleworth, Oldham

Background

Abode Architects enlisted the support of Base Energy to carry out a Part L1A SAP Calculation for Building Regulations submission on a new site at Laureates Place, Saddleworth, Oldham.

Under the proposals put forward by the Abode Architects, the development would involve the construction of a new detached house, 3 storeys high, with a large green roof area and 2 balconies which will overlook the garden space.

The Story

Base Energy’s services and expertise were brought on board at the design stage to ensure that the development with its proposals would meet or exceed Part L1A standards for fabric efficiency and CO2 emissions. The current standard and guidance for Part L1A was introduced in April 2014, and is applied across the country for all new build residential properties.

In order to comply, the site would have to achieve fabric efficiency (DFEE/TFEE) through meeting or improving on the target u-values and air tightness. It would also have comply with the Part L1A 2013 target CO2 emissions (DER/TER) in order pass this section of building regulations.

If the initials proposals didn’t reach the minimum standards for Part L, then it would our job to ensure that it does by recommending improvements.

The Solution

Given the scale and nature of the site, there are usually constraints to the development proposals in terms of the layout, positioning and orientation of the proposed dwellings, which in turn limits certain improvements you can make to the site should the property struggle to pass based on the proposed specifications alone. This however would prove not to be an issue with this particular site.

On the face of it, the most striking thing about the site would be the property’s large green roof. Green Roofs have great ecological value and are eye-catching when installed on large houses, however beneath this colourful feature there is an unusually impressive fabric construction, which far exceeds the u-values expected in the standards of Part L.

The property achieves a wall u-value of 0.14 W/m2k (vastly improving the Part L minimum of 0.18 W/m2k), using a 250mm Durisol block system with 100mm Kingspan, a construction that at the time we had rarely seen on other projects.

Similar to the external wall, the ground floor also shattered the expected u-values of Part L. With a standard poured concrete construction and 150mm of thermally efficient Kingspan PIR, the ground floor would achieve a u-value of 0.09 W/m2k, again contributing significantly to the properties fabric efficiency.

With this highly efficient fabric specification, achieving compliance with the CO2 emissions was a home run. We recommended a gas boiler to install, along with some improved heating controls and a standard air tightness figure of 5 m3/hm2, and the SAP was ready to submit to building control to sign off the design stage with an easy ‘Pass’.

This property would prove to be an example that under the current building regulations, residential properties can achieve compliance solely through focusing on fabric efficiency, without the need to install expensive energy saving devices.