Silver Street, Cross Keys

Silver Street was developed as one of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Social Housing Innovation Programme (SHIP) schemes. It seeks to develop high quality housing that exceeds the requirements of standard pattern book design and demonstrates innovation in respect of all aspects of housing procurement. The development makes best use of brown field land and provides two and three bedroom houses and one-bedroom flats.

Highly sustainable design and construction using simple and efficient principles have been employed in the realisation of Silver Street. The scheme’s construction comprises an innovative timber frame solution utilising a unique on-site ‘micro factory’ where assembly teams process materials and components to deliver the finished timber frame product cost-effectively.

The frame consists of highly insulated 140mm stud timber stud walls, Eco-joist floors and a combination of trussed roofs and engineered timber joist roofs to form room-in-roof spaces. Structural components are used to their maximum efficiency to minimise waste and provide more habitable space. Cost savings by design and construction efficiency allow funding to be allocated to provide better space standards and additional value, e.g. solar hot water heating, space for home working, home networking and IT installations.

The design approach adopted for all the homes groups living spaces around a service core accommodating wet areas, kitchens, circulation and services (passive ventilation, SVPs, hot and cold water distribution, heating, electrical and IT services). This repetitive core element has the potential to become a product manufactured off-site and delivered as a modular/volumetric element.

Solar panels on every dwelling reduce energy costs for water heating by 50-80%. The solar panels are designed to pre-heat the primary hot water store augmenting an ‘A’ efficiency band gas condensing boiler. The heating system is highly responsive and incorporates fully programmable zoned control. These features, in conjunction with a high proportion of low energy light fittings and high performance building fabric achieve a maximum SAP rating of 116 - this enables tenants to benefit from lower energy costs.

A Sustainable Drainage System is incorporated to take rain water from roofs and hard-standings to a sump, comprised of recycled construction waste, located below the parking area. Use of SUDS will minimise the environmental impact of the development and relieve pressure on existing infrastructure by preventing extreme peak flow into sewers and preventing flooding during heavy rainfall.