Francis Court at Halesowen, comprising 15 “Lifestyle Apartments” for the over 45’s, was specially designed and built for the Accord Housing Association using the latest environmentally sensitive techniques.
The scheme was designed by the renowned architect Bill Dunster, famous for the BEDZED scheme in South London. The builders were Greswolde Construction and the cost consultant was Paul Mantle Partnership.
With access to communal facilities including a meeting room and communal gardens, each highly insulated two bedroom apartment maximises the benefits of solar gain, letting in as much natural light and heat as possible during the day to reduce the need for heating, effectively reducing energy bills.
Communal heating and hot water is provided on site by a Biomass Boiler which produces zero Carbon emissions. Each apartment has its own “sunspace” conservatory and a built-in ventilation system allowing clean air collected through roof-mounted wind cowls to be circulated throughout the property via a heat exchanger. The roof is planted with Sedum to provide the buildings with extra insulation.
When opened in 2005, Alan Yates, Director of Regeneration at Accord commented that the development provided new homes that will be both healthy and comfortable to live in. The tenants would benefit from heating and electricity bills than would be lower than those for a more traditional home of the same size. The overall impact on the environment of the development was also far less than a more traditional development.
