Greengage provided a range of services for the residential development at 65 & 67 Maygrove Road in the London Borough of Camden, which comprised 91 residential apartments. Services included Code for Sustainable Homes assessments, and provision of advice regarding energy, ecology and sustainability aspects for planning.
All residential apartments were assessed under the Code for Sustainable Homes and achieved a Level 4 rating including full marks under the management, pollution and surface water run-off categories.
Features of the development that enabled it to reach the Level 4 rating included:
- Provision of a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit resulting in >15% improvement in actual Distributed Energy Resources) DER over standard DER;
- Use of materials with high Green Guide ratings and with responsible sourcing certification;
- 100% diversion of non-hazardous waste from landfill;
- Use of water efficient sanitaryware and also provision of a green roof, attenuation chamber and hydrobrake to reduce surface water run-off;
- 8dB improvements in sound insulation over Building Regulations Approved document E; and
- All apartments built to Lifetime Homes standards.
Greengage also provided ecological advice and recommendations for the external areas around the development.
A biodiverse roof has been provided with plant species specifically selected for their ecological value.
Log piles, sand piles and rope coils were also added to offer habitats for invertebrates. An extensive range of planting has been provided around the development including trellises with climbing plants providing mixed height vegetation and thereby increasing biodiversity. Bird perches, sparrow terraces and bat boxes were also installed at suitable locations around the development to provide nesting locations for wildlife.
Energy advice was provided in the form of an energy strategy for the development following the principles of the energy hierarchy.
The strategy showed how passive design measures alone resulted in the dwellings exceeding the Building Regulations Part L1A Target Emission Rate. The strategy also recommended the communal heating scheme incorporating the CHP engine that was subsequently installed.
The combination of services provided enabled the development to respond to a number of planning and policy requirements as well as maximising its level of sustainability.
Photo courtesy of Peter Jones, Regal Homes.