A blueprint for sustainable social housing at new build development

A range of trusted product solutions from leading manufacturer Glidevale Protect has been specified and installed to help create energy-efficient and healthy homes by property development specialists Castell Group, for use on a new affordable housing scheme constructed in Llansamlet, Swansea.

This new build project was designed with a fabric first approach and features numerous sustainable elements to enhance the quality of living spaces and reduce energy costs wherever possible, including the installation of integrated in-roof solar PV panels throughout the development.

These homes were developed on behalf of social housing provider Caredig, transforming a brownfield site in Llansamlet, Swansea.

The challenge

The Samlet Road development featured a combination of timber frame homes and traditional masonry-built apartments, necessitating the specification of building products suited for the entire project. The flexibility and wide scope of Glidevale Protect’s roofing and construction product solutions allowed them to be installed throughout the scheme.

With an objective to transform the former site of a car dealership, the challenge for this development was to create high quality homes, designed and built to a high standard and specification, with a key focus on sustainability. The drive for EPC-A rated social homes meant that the selected materials used as hidden protectors within the building envelope such as the reflective wall membrane had to provide a strong foundation for additional sustainable features to be added, helping reduce energy costs for tenants. In order to keep the carbon footprint to a minimum, the developers sought building materials from a local supply chain to increase social value within the community and Glidevale Protect met this requirement with the installed membranes being produced nearby at the Merthyr Tydfil factory in South Wales.

With the homes available to rent through registered social landlord Caredig, the housing solutions provider for people who need support to maintain their tenancy and are most in need of affordable, modern and secure housing, the focus on building healthy homes with appropriate ventilation was as important as reduced energy savings.

Glidevale Protect delivered on these objectives by supplying a combination of products for the roof and wall, creating the benefits of thermal efficiency, ventilation and condensation control.

The solution

To help deliver healthy homes, Glidevale Protect supplied products from across its roofing and wall construction ranges including high-performance pitched roofing membranes and ventilation solutions tailored to the project’s specific needs.

The specified roofing underlay was Protect A1 Solar, a high performance, heavy-duty type HR impermeable roofing underlay designed for use on all cold and warm pitched roofs where in-roof solar PV panels are installed. Partnered with the correct ventilation strategy, the underlay helps reduces the risk of interstitial condensation forming on the underside of solar PV panels. To ensure condensation control was achieved in the roof space, Glidevale Protect also provided a selection of roofing ventilation solutions. These included over fascia vents and rafter rolls to achieve low level ventilation at the eaves and the Protect Fulmetal UniRoll dry-fix ridge and hip system for high level ventilation at the ridge.

The timber frame homes on the development also feature Glidevale Protect’s low emissivity TF200 Thermo reflective external wall breather membrane to help achieve overall lower wall U-values and improve the thermal efficiency of the properties.

Supply chain collaboration was vital to the successful delivery of the scheme, with the Glidevale Protect technical team working closely with specialist roofing contractor Alex Baul Roofing and the main contractor Castell Group to devise a suitable ventilation take off and specification that accommodated the solar PV roofing elements being installed. This development also saw Glidevale Protect work with established supply chain partner and manufacturer of the timber frame structures LoCal Homes, part of the Green Square Accord Group. LoCal Homes provides both traditional and closed panel timber frame systems, working with contractors and housing associations to create award-winning affordable housing that can be produced at volume and pace. By supplying the Protect TF200 Thermo membrane for installation in LoCal Homes’ factory, this helped the timber frame manufacturer add pre-manufactured value during the offsite construction process.

Product overview

The Samlet Road scheme is a great example of how the design of a building with a fabric first approach at its heart can contribute both towards a correctly ventilated, healthy home and deliver an energy efficient, sustainable housing development. By adding integrated solar panels to the roof, along with the correct mix of products from Glidevale Protect to mitigate potential issues with moisture and vapour, homes were created that will also generate lower running costs for social tenants. This was enhanced by the choice of a thermally efficient, reflective breather membrane used on the external walls of the timber frame homes.

Read more about our products used in this scheme:

• Protect A1 Solar
• Protect TF200 Thermo
• Protect Fulmetal UniRoll

For more information on Glidevale Protect, please email info@glidevaleprotect.com quoting ‘Samlet Road‘ or call +44 (0)161 905 5700. Keep up to date with our latest news by following us on LinkedIn.