Clearview National November 2015 - Issue 168 | Page 90

energyefficiency

Turning a dream into reality
»»For pioneering Grand
Designs’ homeowner Natasha
Cargill, the ‘home pure’ timber/
aluminium composite windows
from Internorm, provided a
stunning eco glazing solution
for Springfield House - the first
‘Code for Sustainable Homes’
Level 6 building, designed
and built in the UK, to have
achieved planning permission by
complying with planning law,
Paragraph 55 of the National
Planning Policy Framework.
Living in London with her
young son, Natasha moved back
to her home county of Norfolk.
Working as a housekeeper they
lived in rented accommodation.
But Natasha’s dream was to
build a house that would work
speci fically for her and her son.
So she took the chance to buy a
rare, half-acre plot of land with no
planning permission on the edge
of a quiet village and tin order to
gain planning permission, the build
had to comply with Paragraph 55
law, which meant building to Code
Level 6 for sustainability and locally
sourcing wherever possible.
Super eco house
features glazed
periscope design
Springfield House is located
on virgin land in a beautiful rural
setting, near a river and woodland
in Norfolk. With its unusual
periscopic architectural design the
building boasts two timber clad
balconies that look outwards in
different directions, maximising
the stunning views.

Internorm’s ‘home
pure’ range specified
to meet Code 6
requirements
Specified by Springfield House’s
architectural designer Wilf
Meynell, Director of Studio Bark,
Internorm’s ‘home pure’ timber/
aluminium composite triple
glazed windows offered the best
solution, meeting the sustainability
build demands of the notoriously
difficult-to-achieve Code Level 6.
As Wilf Meynell explains:
“Our priority was to tick all the
boxes for Code 6. Solar gain was
important to warm the central
‘core’ and we wanted to achieve
U-values of approx. 0.8-0.9W/
m2K throughout, which meant
the glazing element, as every aspect
of the build, was key. Working
alongside one of Internorm’s UK
distribution partners, EcoHaus,
we successfully achieved this with
the installation of the Internorm
windows, which are perfect for low
energy houses.”
EcoHaus’ senior technical
consultant, James Munro, visited
the site to meet architect Wilf
several times, he explains: “It’s
been a fascinating project to work
on. The windows and large scale
glazing elements from Internorm’s
‘home pure’ range were specified
as they met both the U values and
sustainability credentials for a Code
6 build as well as the aesthetic
demands of the building’s modern
and straight-lined style. As soon as
they were installed Natasha could
see how bright and light-flooded
the living space would be.”

90 » N OV 2015 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M

Their innovative timber/
aluminium composite
construction offer Uw up to 0,67
W/m²K, also incorporating a
triple gasket system and highly
heat insulating thermal foam that
is HCFC, HFC and FC free.
Eco glazing
complements
eco design
The glazing element of the
build complements the whole
eco ethos of the house, which
is built on a thin, insulated eco
concrete slab set below a locally
sourced stone wall. As well as
being a design feature, a chunky
eco concrete staircase provides a
heavy thermal mass that absorbs
heat, keeping the building cool
in summer yet distributing the
heat when it cools down at
night. The building’s timberframed structure is skinned with
fibre-board panels, stuffed with
carbon negative insulation and a
lime render outside to provide a
rainscreen.

The ground floor of the
building is separated by two
wings angled 10° apart, housing
one bedroom each with associated
bathroom, utility and storage.
The upstairs living space features
projecting balconies, which shade
the ground floor and provide
extra space accommodating a
kitchen and dining room, central
hall and living come music
room.
The Western Red cedar
cladding for the build was felled
from the nearby woodland and
the roof features a bed of solar
panels and an intensive green
roof, all designed to meet the
Code 6 points requirement.
The build was completed
in just seven months and cost
£338,000 in total.
www.internorm.co.uk.
For further information on
Studio Bark and this project,
visit www.studiobark.co.uk/
portfolio-item/e118-springfieldhouse-norfolk/