Timber frame will be among the methods used in a pioneering consortium research and development project to build homes that meet Level 4 of the government’s Code for Sustainable Homes.
AIMC4 will build 12 homes using different materials and systems around the UK which will then be monitored and evaluated. The total cost of the project is £6.4m, with 50% coming from the government-backed Technology Strategy Board.
The partners in the initiative include Stewart Milne, which includes the timber frame specialist division Stewart Milne Timber Systems, Crest Nicholson, Barratt Developments, the BRE and Oxford Brookes University.
“A unique aspect of this project is that the consortium will be working alongside suppliers to facilitate the accelerated development of materials, components and systems,” said Milne’s group product development director Stewart Dalgarno.
He said that the aim will be to achieve CSH Level 4 through ‘fabric first’, as opposed to using a lot of renewable technology.
Launching AIMC4, housing and planning minister John Healey said: “This project is reponding to the target set by government to reduce carbon emissions by homes. Meeting this challenge will need innovative materials, products and designs.”
