BE-ST Bits of March

More milestones this month in housing, retrofit and innovation. The Edinburgh Home Demonstrator has entered its testing phase, and Scotland’s National Retrofit Centre has successfully installed its first set of panels. Meanwhile, Social Bite provides an inside look at their Village's manufacturing process, showcasing how innovative design is addressing homelessness. Read on for key updates and insights.

1. Final phase of Edinburgh Home Demonstrator, ‘net-zero ready’ development, begins with rigorous testing.

The University of Edinburgh has begun rigorous testing to validate performance standards of the 75 affordable 'net zero ready' homes at Granton Station View, the Pilot of the Edinburgh Home Demonstrator Project. The University is measuring the u-value and airtightness of the buildings as well as conducting thermal imaging of the homes.

Find out more.

2. Scotland's National Retrofit Centre: Exciting progress as crane lifts and behind the scene tours take place.

The installation of the panelised facade system continued, incorporating homegrown cross-laminated timber, natural fibre insulation, high-performance hemp insulation, Passive House-certified triple-glazed windows, and resilient timber cladding.

We also hosted our second behind-the-scenes tour, providing industry professionals with a detailed overview of the retrofit project. Attendees explored the application of a fabric-first approach in the internal and external systems, the integration of a zero direct emissions heating system, and the key lessons learned throughout the build.

Manufacturing on the new Social Bite village tackling homelessness.

Social Bite showcases why modern methods of construction help deliver quicker, warmer and higher quality homes that Scotland's vulnerable people deserve, in a newly released video. Ecosystems Technologies is manufacturing the community hub and houses using materials from BE-ST and timber from BSW Timber. Find out more about the Village.

Forestry Commission Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Fund (WiMFIF) Projects' Final Event.

BE-ST took part in an outreach event to mark the end of the Forestry Commission Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Fund (WiMFIF) projects, including Building from England’s Woodlands and Commercialisation of Homegrown Wood Fibre Insulation projects. It was a day of inspiring and insightful presentations, exhibits, interactive displays and live demonstrations to share the outcomes and findings from a diverse range of projects that have the potential to significantly improve the carbon footprint of the UK’s buildings and support diverse woodland ecosystems.

Our Accelerate to Zero Beacon: Gina Colley, Threesixty Architecture Ltd.

Gina is an Architect and Associate Director at Threesixty Architecture. She believes inclusive design should be at the core of a just transition to net zero which creates spaces that are affordable, accessible, and considerate of all people. She also won BE-ST's Accelerate to Zero Beacon Award, which recognises stand-out individuals for their unique contribution to the zero carbon built environment.

Read the full article here.

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