A Cambridgeshire architect has chosen a timber construction solution for his own three-storey “eco house” in Ely.
Meredith Bowles, of Mole Architects, specified Excel Building Solutions’ Tradis wall panels, floor cassettes and roof plates to provide a lightweight structure, minimising foundation requirements, ensure the use of sustainable materials and reduce environmental impact.
The house shell was erected in just five days, enabling trades to start work quickly in a wind and watertight structure.
Intermediate floors were constructed using uninsulated Masonite Beam floor cassettes, with the largest panels spanning the 11-metre length of the house. Brick piers built on concrete foundations support a glulam ring beam, onto which the Tradis floor cassettes were laid.
Timber windows are argon-filled and double-glazed with a low emmissivity coating, while external cladding is all-black corrugated cement fibre board. The calculated heat loss for the entire house is less than 5kW at -4?C.
