The UK needs housing fit for our future. What is built needs to tackle some of the largest systemic challenges we share as a nation: improving human wellbeing, developing communities, meeting net zero carbon targets fast, increasing biodiversity and building homes that last and suit our changing climate and needs. Positive+ House is our desirable, affordable and deliverable response to this.
Our homes fit within a Positive+ Community urban approach that puts people at its very heart and helps communities reconnect to each other and to nature. It brings landscape into the site for a net biodiversity gain. Lifestyle changes are enabled through walking and cycling within and beyond the site boundary, growing food together, and facilitating the sharing economy that closes waste loops. These benefits to humans and the environment may be harder to quantify but have many benefits to our health and happiness as we have found out through the Coronavirus pandemic.
Positive+ House utilises the latest in industry digitalisation and a distributed offsite manufacturing model to harness and develop the supply chain in more advanced offsite production, and a near site ‘flying factory’ assembly process to deliver at speed, improve build quality, and allow job creation and skills improvement. It puts the human element back into offsite manufacturing whilst still providing a Premanufacturing Value (PMV) of about 77%.
The design is a modern interpretation of traditional balloon frame construction methods using home-grown Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) to produce an efficient, high performance, solid feeling and adaptable frame that incorporates generous internal spaces for different lifestyles.
The home is Passivhaus quality to provide near zero heating bills and long-term comfort. It produces more energy than it consumes by using a direct electric system and integrated photovoltaics and stores more carbon in its materials than it emits to make them. It incorporates the whole life impact of the building and goes beyond net zero to deliver the positive carbon home today.