Tre Ifans - Paramount Structures

Project Details

Project - Tre Ifans

Sector - Residential

Technology - Component

Company - Paramount Structures

Project Overview

Isle of Anglesey is one of the 11 remaining authorities in Wales to retain housing stock. In 2020 they backed the 2030 carbon Neutral Public Sector Initiative and this  project has been part of the Innovative Housing Programme. The concept for the materials used came from the 2007 Ty Unnos 'a house in one night' research project. This was a joint collaboration between Coed Cymru and the Welsh School of Architecture along with their commercial partners to asses the use of homegrown softwood in the construction industry.

The scope of the project was to deliver 6 semi detached social houses on an existing estate, these were to use a methodology called 'Ty Unnos' which aims to use local materials to create energy efficient and cost saving homes. The main aims of the Tre Ifans project were:

- Encourage investment in the Welsh forests and timber industries through the use of homegrown Welsh softwood in the delivery of affordable, sustainable and high quality housing.

- Use resources from the Wales Forest Estate to obtain maximum multiple benefit during the growing life and product life providing education, employment, healthy and efficient homes, and lock in carbon.

- Promote Welsh Government strategy and legislation on ‘wellbeing’, the ‘environment’ and ‘natural resources’ by planting, growing and using trees to provide a truly sustainable environment, economy and society.

- Create a partnership between the public sector and the timber industry to add value to locally grown Welsh timber.

- Create healthy, energy efficient, high quality and affordable homes that promote design quality and adaptability and comply with Welsh Design Quality Requirements.

- Achieve a minimum of EPC A rating on energy performance.

Through the use of offsite technology, local softwood and recycled building materials the project was able to control the embodied carbon and push the next zero agenda. The houses also utilised modern heating and ventilation methods in order to further improve the efficiency in the housing and reduce the energy bills for the tenants. We  believe that the project more than delivered on its brief and provides a benchmark in sustainable solution to house building not only in Wales but across the UK that can be replicated to reduce carbon, energy bills and enhance the standard of living for occupants.