Cleveland Mews Eco-Flats, Chichester

Clients Will Moore and Tim Warner of Cormorant Property Development were introduced to ADM by SIPS Industries and award-winning self-build architect Allan Corfield of AC Architects, based in the coastal town of Dalgety Bay, Fife.

The Cleveland Mews development comprised six low-energy contemporary-design flats, constructed from structurally insulated panels (SIPS) and featuring renewable technologies including solar panels, an air source heat pump and a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery (MVHR).

Using SIPS speeds up the construction process because once these have been erected work can be carried out inside and outside the property at the same time. This method is therefore of considerable benefit to a developer looking to achieve a quicker return on investment.

Because SIPS panels provide supreme insulation and air-tightness, the decision to install a MVHR system is virtually automatic when they are used in construction. With the Cleveland Mews flats there was another consideration – a high-speed railway line runs close by the property and an acoustic fence is a mere 20 metres from it. MVHR plays a key role in maintaining good indoor air quality, but it also reduces extraneous noise because it provides fresh filtered air without the need to have open windows for ventilation.

Limited storage space in each property posed a potential problem, but ADM were able to offer a practical solution from their extensive portfolio of products. They recommended the Vent-Axia Lo-Carbon Sentinel Kinetic Cooker Hood MVHR unit, which is designed to fit in a 600mm wide aperture and is only 300mm deep. The unit was neatly tucked inside a cupboard above the ceramic hob in each compact kitchen. The telescopic hood incorporates two flat removable metal grease filters and an integral fire damper in the hood that complies with BRE Digest 398. It is connected to a heat recovery unit via a galvanised steel duct that provides access for cleaning. The duct also has a thermal cut-out fuse which turns off the MVHR in the event of excessive temperatures in the airway.

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