Built offsite at M-AR’s factory in Hull, the scheme adopts “low carbon specification” to meet the Future Homes Standard and 2050 net zero targets.
Age Action Alliance member Housing 21, which also supports the work of the national Older People’s Housing Champions, has completed work at Patent House and Patent Walk in Doncaster – England’s largest net zero volumetric Retirement Living scheme.
Comprising a total of 64 volumetric modules to provide a total of 20 homes, the scheme includes eight two-bedroom bungalows, as well as a three-storey building featuring six one-bedroom and six two-bedroom apartments – all available for social rent.
Located off Cooke Street, residents will also be able to enjoy the facilities at another Housing 21 scheme, Minden Court, located adjacent to Patent House and Patent Walk. Minden Court has a spacious communal lounge, which was renovated in 2017 and is surrounded by extensive open-plan gardens featuring outdoor seating.
Tony Tench, Deputy Chief Executive at Housing 21, said: “This has been an incredibly exciting project for us to deliver. We had a very clear objective for developing this scheme. Not only did we want to provide an entirely affordable Retirement Living complex, but we wanted to ensure it could achieve net zero in terms of operational carbon so that we can keep energy costs as low as possible for our future residents.
“While we look forward to welcoming our new residents, we are already looking ahead and have put in place a year-long programme to accurately monitor the energy use of these new homes. This will be reviewed alongside another traditionally built scheme, so we can capture data that will further shape net zero homes of the future.”
Photovoltaic (PV) panels have been installed on the new Retirement Living complex as well as on the roof of Minden Court to increase energy production for the wider scheme. In addition, the scheme benefits from high insulation values and airtightness of the modules, the installation of water heaters with integrated air source heat pumps (ASHP), and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) to maximise efficiency and reduce running costs for residents.
Electric vehicle (EV) charging points have also been provided for residents as well as additional landscaped areas and private gardens.
Offsite construction methods played a significant role in enabling Housing 21 to meet net zero ambitions for the scheme due to the level of build accuracy that can be achieved through the highly controlled factory environment and precision engineering.
