Young people help shape low-energy children’s homes

The innovative scheme marked a distinct step away from previous types of residential setting used by Hampshire County Council to care for its looked-after children.

Not only did the six new dwellings aim to help reduce the council’s carbon footprint by conforming to a low-energy standard, but care-experienced young people were involved in the design process.

At the time work began on the first of the six homes in the New Forest, councillor Keith Mans, cabinet member for children’s services, said they had played a “crucial role” in the project.

“While the architecture and technical aspects of construction are important considerations, we were clear that we wanted these houses to be a real home for children we’re caring for who, for varying and complex reasons, are unable to remain at home with their own families,” he said.

With the first house built in 2016, five further locations in Andover, Chandlers Ford, Fareham, Havant and Winchester were completed by 2018.

The properties, built by Raymond Brown Building, were designed to be deliberately smaller to replace former larger “institutional” buildings that were often in remote locations and away from local communities.

‘Family Unit’ homes

Instead, the new “Family Unit” sized homes – housing four children and their carers – are situated within established residential areas.

They are also close to good transport links, within walking distance of schools and easy reach of local amenities and leisure activities to help young people to develop their independence safely.

The council says its project team understood the direct impact a physical environment, including its standard, upkeep and comfort, had on a child’s wellbeing and self-esteem.

As such, its main focus was to create a number of new environments that could provide familiar, welcome, safe, secure and comfortable homes.

Young people collaborated with Hampshire County Council’s children’s services to deliver a purpose-built space to accommodate four children, two residential managers as well as other daytime staff.

Ensuring the properties had a main entrance at the front of the house – with a garden in front of it – as well as a fireplace feature in the living room, were some of the elements of a home that the young people involved in the project said was important to them.

Inside there is a flexible layout of bedroom and en-suite accommodation for children and adults that better meets users’ needs, the council explains.

“The design is traditional in appearance so that both the building form and selection of materials responds to local character and context.

“The interior spaces are warm, light and comfortable with an emphasis on providing a sense of ownership and familiar place as ‘home’,” it says.

Front and rear private gardens, terraces and outbuildings were also designed in response to the context of the site and to suit the needs of residents, it adds.

The homes have been built to the Passivhaus standard, a low-energy method of construction first developed in Germany.

The council says the standard was chosen to provide optimum thermal comfort, air quality, acoustics and low running costs.

“This aims to support good health and wellbeing of the occupants and reduce operational costs,” it says.

The technique uses high levels of insulation within the framework of buildings to dramatically reduce the requirement to heat and cool spaces.

It also ensures that buildings are draught-proof by installing triple-glazed windows.

Because these types of buildings are so highly insulated with zero heat loss, occupants can enjoy air-heat that has been generated either by themselves, household appliances or through solar energy.

Simon Jones, Raymond Brown Building’s managing director, said the project provided the chance to employ alternative methods of construction such as structural insulated panels which were delivered for assembly on site.

“It’s a brilliant opportunity from Hampshire County Council to break from traditional construction and deliver something different,” he said.

Using a Passivhaus standard provides very accurate modelling and means buildings can achieve a 75 per cent reduction in the need to heat up space in the home.

This results in such properties being able to reduce carbon emissions by up to 80 per cent.

Further environmental benefits to the homes include the use of skylights to help maximise natural daylight which in turn lowers energy use from electric lighting.

Cost savings are also minimised by heating hot water through alternative methods such as solar thermal panels installed on the roof of the buildings.

Read more in CYP Now's special report on sustainable services