Pro Installer December 2018 - Issue 69 | Page 20

20 | DECEMBER 2018 News Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk Chancellor aims for 650,000 new homes with £500M injection The Chancellor, Philip BREEAM “EXCELLENT” UNIVERSITY TECHNICAL COLLEGE FEATURES SAPA ELEGANCE 52 CURTAIN WALL A major new University Technical College in the East End of London, special- ising in the creative and health industries, is making full use of the performance benefits and design flexibility offered by the Elegance 52 curtain wall system, together with Dualframe Si 75 windows, both man- ufactured by Sapa Building System, part of the Hydro Group. Mulberry UTC was constructed by Wates, with the London based office of Scott Brownrigg being responsible for the design input. Cheshire Architectural Aluminium, based in Cheshire, was the member of Hy- dro Group’s nationwide fabricator network which produced and installed the glazing package. Not only do the internally beaded Du- alframe 75 Si windows achieve an overall U-value of 1.4 W/m 2 K to offer very good energy saving performance, but the sys- tem’s aluminium construction is also highly significant from a sustainability perspective, and therefore contributes to the project’s BREEAM assessment. Cheshire Architectural Aluminium’s package for the Mulberry UTC also included Sapa ST2 entrance doors which are PAS 24 certified for security, while remaining fully accessible for wheelchair users and other less able students or staff. The ST2 door frames have a level thresholds subtending the double rebated frames, and automatic openers. Elegance 52 ST curtain walling is an externally capped, thermally broken system that offers many design options through the use of different mullions and cover caps. It can deliver very good energy and acous- tic performance as well as the aesthetic appearance to suit different property types, from residential and retail to education or commercial. Sapa’s Dualframe 75 Si range is proving very popular in sectors such as social hous- ing, as well as education. Not only does the uniquely designed polyamide break help it offer U-values down to 0.9 W/m 2 K, but Du- alframe was the first aluminium system to achieve an A++ Window Energy Rating with its tilt before turn window. www.sapabuildingsystem.com Hammond, has announced further plans to increase UK housebuilding in his 2018 Autumn Budget. Following on from his announcement last year of a five-year £44bn housing programme, the Chancellor has con- firmed a £500 million injection into the Housing Infrastructure Fund in a bid to unlock 650,000 new homes. The funding, which is part of a government capital grant programme will allow local councils – particularly in areas of high housing de- mand, to provide additional grant funding for new infra- structure which is necessary for housing development. The cash injection comes as the Government looks to meet its target of building on average 300,000 new homes every year by the middle of the next decade. Also in his speech, the Chancellor announced measures which could see local councils transform their struggling high streets the Chancellor announced ‘ measures which could see local councils transform their struggling high streets and commercial buildings into housing ’ and commercial buildings into housing – with £675m of funding earmarked to support councils. Fur- thermore, Mr. Hammond pledged further support for SME housebuilders with up to £1bn of British busi- ness bank guarantees and confirmed the Government has agreed deals with nine housing associations to deliver 13,000 homes across England. [email protected] Official launch of a new housing development in Liverpool A new £6.1m housing development in Wavertree, designed for customers looking to rent in Liverpool, launched with a sod cutting ceremony to mark the official start of construction work on site. Nuvu Wavertree is a 48-home develop- ment which is being developed by Your Housing Group, one of the largest housing providers in the UK, with more than 28,000 homes across North West, Yorkshire and the Midlands, in partnership with MCI Develop- ments. Steve Fensom, chief operating officer at Your Housing Group, Councillor Lynnie Hinnigan, deputy mayor of Liverpool and cabinet member for housing at Liverpool City Council and Alex Wood, managing director at MCI Developments attended an official sod cutting ceremony to launch building work. The development, near Edington Street, by Wavertree Technology Park, will offer 10 one-bedroom apartments and 38 two- and three-bedroom homes, which are due to be completed by June 2019 and will be available to rent through Nuvu Living, Your Housing Group’s rental brand. The site was originally acquired by Homes England who undertook initial de-risking works by assembling a technical pack and securing outline planning before bringing the site to market. www.nuvuliving.co.uk