24 | NOVEMBER 2017
News
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
Timber on the rise
Timber frame construction
now makes up over 70% of the
Scottish new build housing mar-
ket, according to Scottish house
builder Springfield Properties.
The company, voted the best
house builder in Scotland in
three out of the last five years,
builds around a timber frame. The
business believes that insulative
timber frames bring environmental
benefits and make financial sense;
money spent by the house builder
in the first instance ultimately
leads to reduced energy costs as
less electricity and gas is required
to run the homes in the long run.
In 2012, Springfield designed
and built Scotland’s first zero car-
bon home to meet the 2016 Gold
Active Energy Standard. The house
was constructed from a super in-
sulated kit and timber core.
This
material’s
many benefits to home owners
and the environment include that
it is organic, non-toxic, renewable
and carbon neutral. It allows ex-
cellent air tightness, the incorpo-
ration of high levels of insulation
and reduced loss of heat through
the structure.
Precision-engineered kits also
mean minimal wastage of ma-
terial, accurate production of
individually designed kits, timely,
programmed delivery of each kit
and quick on-site construction,
saving time and reducing cost for
customers.
This year, Springfield Properties
posted its highest-ever revenue,
with turnover increased by 22% to
£111m.
www.springfield.co.uk
RISE OF THE MICRO
APARTMENT
Prime Central London (PCL) is seeing
the rise of the micro-apartment,
according to new research, as squeezed
accommodation budgets have seen
singles and couples opting for location
and convenience over size.
According to statistics ana-
lysed by London Central Portfolio
(LCP), there is increasing demand
for smaller properties which offer
an affordable option for tenants
who wish to be centrally located
near their place of employment or
study.
Over the last 12 months, 42 per
cent of properties have been stu-
dios or one bedrooms reflecting
tenants prioritising lifestyle and
transport links over square foot-
age. On the other hand, demand
has been noticeably slower for
larger rental properties as families
consider less central options,
offering greater value and more
space.
www.londoncentralportfolio.com
ROOF THAT BROKE THE MOULD
In a specification that literally broke the mould, Aggregate
Industries’ Building Products division supplied 2700m 2 of bespoke
roof tiling to a large-scale residential property in The Cotswolds.
The project itself was a
unique self-build job in the pictur-
esque village of Icomb, Glouces-
tershire. With a number of build-
ings on site, the tiling was applied
to the main house, multiple barns
and a horse-stable block.
Aggregate Industries created
a completely bespoke product
by combining the profile of the
company’s existing Bradstone
Cotswold tile range – which are
highly detailed roof slates resem-
bling indigenous Cotswold slates –
with the colour of their Bradstone
Conservation tile. The carefully
planned manufacturing process
involved working alongside exist-
ing production lines, where the
Cotswold tile moulds were filled
with Conservation colour mix, re-
sulting in the required volume of
Cotswold-Conservation product.
Jeremy Lee, Building Products
Sales Director for Aggregate
Industries’ Building Products
division said: “The nature of this
project was completely unique, as
was the client’s tiling preference.
With a desire to create a striking
contrast between the property’s
walls and the roofing, a tailored
solution was required which we
had the flexibility and capability
to provide.”
Aggregate Industries also
provided over 2000m2 of Mas-
terlite Pro, and nearly 4300m2
of Masterdenz concrete blocks,
including a large quantity of cut
angled blocks for window and
door reveals, driven by the nature
of the building design.
The complete tiling and block
product solution was supplied
from Aggregate Industries’ large-
scale manufacturing facility in
nearby North End, Swindon. This
meant a delivery schedule, crafted
around the contractor’s timetable,
was created and worked to for
the duration of the project.
Steve Hopkins, from Camden
Property Developments, who
was Project Manager, said: “The
client on this project had very
specific requirements and needed
a tailored solution. At such large
volumes, it quickly became ap-
parent that we needed a capable,
flexible partner, able to work
around our needs and provide a
complete product solution. Aggre-
gate Industries’ ability to create a
bespoke roofing product which
met our needs, as well as supply
such a large quantity of pre-cast
concrete blocks, all from the same
manufacturing facility, sealed the
deal for us.”
Supplying a total of nearly
9000m2 of product, through 77
deliveries across a five- month
period, the successful completion
of the project has led to several
further contracts of this nature in
the area, including one with the
same developer.
To find out more about
Aggregate Industries and our full
range of building products, visit
www.aggregate.com