Project Overview:
Ferry Road in Cardiff is a volumetric modular housing development that was delivered using offsite technology for Cardiff Council. The project has been constructed to the Passivhaus Plus standard and is ‘net zero’ in terms of carbon emissions. Ferry Road is comprised of forty-eight apartments and two ancillary buildings. It is the largest fully demountable and relocatable Passivhaus Plus social housing development in Europe. The scheme delivers huge social, economic and environmental benefits.
Beattie Passive used modern methods of construction (MMC) to manufacture forty-eight volumetric modular homes and two additional blocks – an office block for administrative staff and a community hub, housing a training room, kitchen, 24/7 medical office and a crèche – to the Passivhaus Plus standard at its offsite factory in Norwich. The project is ground-breaking in more ways than one.
Firstly, let’s take a look at the method of delivery. Designed and modelled in the Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP) and constructed around a sustainable timber frame, these modular volumetric homes maximise airtightness and minimise thermal bridging to reduce energy consumption by up to 95%. The addition of photovoltaic panels (PVs) during the installation phase improves this figure still further and achieves the coveted target of net zero carbon emissions. As a result, the buildings actually produce more energy than the occupants consume.
Unlike traditional housing developments, which can often take a long time to complete, modular housing can be delivered comparatively quickly. Once finished, the homes were delivered to site by road before being carefully craned into position. This approach accelerated the manufacturing phase and expedited the timescales of the entire project. The scheme ticks all the boxes for a contemporary housing project and then goes further still to deliver Passivhaus Plus levels of building performance, while cutting energy bills and curtailing carbon emissions to net zero. As the number of people living in fuel poverty grows and climate concerns intensify, these considerations are extremely important. The carbon savings are enormous. Because the development can be relocated, it precludes the need for a brand new construction project.
This will obviously save a tremendous amount of carbon and is in line with recent government EAC recommendations to cut building demolitions in favour of the reuse of existing stock. “The Council is extremely pleased to be working with Beattie Passive to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to help tackle housing needs in the city. The flexibility of this fully demountable system means they can be moved elsewhere in the future if required, enabling us to respond to changing housing needs over time.” Councillor Lynda Thorne, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Cardiff Council.
