Pioneering project sets the benchmark for developments in Thanet
As part of World Green Building Week, we wanted to highlight a project we are working on that is a real example of #BuildingResilience to climate change for people and economies.
The project
OSG is working with developer Square Circle Developments to help realise their commitment to deliver an innovative housing scheme of 23 net zero carbon homes on a former industrial site in Westgate-on-Sea that was zoned for residential in the recent local plan.
The Suffolk Avenue project seeks to achieve the UK Government 2050 target of net zero carbon emissions – today!
The built environment is responsible for 47% of UK carbon emissions, excluding embodied carbon – Oxford University
When embodied carbon is included, the buildings we live and work in account for more than half of all carbon emissions.
The way new homes are traditionally built, and existing homes retrofitted often falls short of stated design standards. Urgent action is needed to change the design specifications, materials used and the construction process, in order to improve the quality of buildings and their impact on the environment.
The Suffolk Avenue project will be one of the largest net zero carbon projects in England, and the largest in the South East. It is hoped that this pioneering project will help to build a local supply chain with the skills to deliver against this ambitious goal at the earliest stage possible so that we can start to combat climate change immediately. Greg Chant-Hall (Sustainability Consultant – Square Gain)
The cost of net zero carbon is not an obstacle
Buildings can be built to achieve net zero carbon, using today’s technologies and in an affordable way. This can be achieved using efficient and renewable technologies.
- Step 1: insulated and airtight building fabric
- Step 2: efficient and renewable energy system
The Suffolk Avenue zero carbon project will meet the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) definition of net zero carbon which has been developed in collaboration with a wide group of industry experts.
The Suffolk Avenue project also incorporates the BRE’s Home Quality Mark and is set to achieve a 5-star rating.
The development will set an environmental benchmark for future development in Thanet and the South East where there are steep housebuilding targets to meet over the next few years, and will put Westgate-on-Sea on the map for leading the way in sustainable building.
Sustainable Building
The carbon impact of the development has been considered both for the build phase and lifecycle. Modern Methods of Construction will be used, taking a high quality ‘fabric first’ approach to prioritise energy reduction and efficiency.
The new dwellings will be a timber-frame construction with excellent thermal efficiency. The homes will be powered by renewable energy, photovoltaic solar panels as opposed to fossil fuels and will be heated by Air Source Heat pumps. EV charging will be present throughout the development.
The Suffolk Road development will be a pioneering example of homes designed and built for the future in the South East.
#BuildingResilience to climate change, for people, for economies