A concept house for sustainable living developed by one of the UK’s major housebuilders has been installed with reflective, insulating wall membranes from Glidevale Protect to deliver an airtight and energy efficient building envelope.
Zed House, built by Barratt Developments PLC, is a unique zero carbon home built on The University of Salford’s main campus and is a collaboration between the housebuilder, industry partners and University of Salford academics.
Glidevale Protect supplied its reflective wall membranes Protect TF200 Thermo and Protect VC Foil Ultra as part of the build to deliver a low emissivity solution through the use of still airspaces, with the products providing strong aged thermal resistance to reduce energy consumption and heat loss, thereby helping to achieve a low overall U-value. The membranes were installed offsite to timber frame closed panels by specialist manufacturers and designers Oregon Timber Frame Ltd before being delivered and constructed on site.
Zed House is constructed using MMC to reduce build time by half and is packed with cutting edge technology to reduce carbon emissions and substantially surpass the Future Homes Standard, being the first home built by a major housebuilder to achieve this. Glidevale Protect is one of over 40 organisations involved in the project from across the housebuilding, sustainability and technology sectors, supplying a wide array of advanced low carbon technologies including PV solar panels, battery storage and electric vehicle charging points. Continually monitored for energy performance, the Zed House will be lived in by University of Salford academics to better understand the customer experience of zero carbon living.
“We’re delighted to be involved in this ground-breaking project which goes beyond current regulations to deliver a future proofed design with carbon reduction at its heart,” explained John Mellor, Glidevale Protect’s senior product manager. “With energy efficiency and net zero carbon high on the agenda, we’re proud that our thermally efficient construction membranes have played their part in this build.”
“The Zed House takes a fabric-first approach, supported by a range of smart and renewable technologies, to ensure high standards of energy efficiency in this zero carbon home,” said Oliver Novakovic, Group Technical and Innovation Director at Barratt Developments PLC. He added, “Glidevale Protect is an important partner on this project, who has provided high quality reflective membranes to enhance the wall’s thermal performance, helping to reflect radiant heat and prevent energy loss from the timber-frame home.”
