Tag Archives: paveaways

News

Council’s Passivhaus scheme scoops excellence award

A development of new low energy social housing in Powys has been highly commended in awards that recognise the best construction projects in Wales.

Judges for Constructing Excellence in Wales were so impressed with the scheme by Powys County Council, it made a special award to the team behind the project in the Residential Property of the Year category at the ceremony at Celtic Manor on June 17.

The £1.3m development in Sarn, developed by the council’s Affordable Housing Team, was the first social housing to be built for the local authority in 30 years and the first ever to meet the stringent Passivhaus conditions.

The homes were designed by Hughes Architects with support from Passivhaus experts PYC from Welshpool and consulting civil and structural engineers Bradley Associates Ltd from Cardiff and built by Pave Aways Building Contractors.

The seven energy efficient homes — a mix of two-bedroom bungalows and two-bedroom and three-bedroom houses used low energy construction methods and included sustainability features such as solar panels and mechanical heat ventilation recovery systems that reduce running costs for tenants.

Welsh-grown wood was used for the timber frame while cellulose fibre insulation, manufactured from recycled newspaper, was used to reduce the use of plastics.

Cllr Matthew Dorrance, Powys County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for a Farier Powys, said: “I’m delighted that our first social housing to be built in 30 years has been recognised at this prestigious awards ceremony.

“This brilliant and ground-breaking development has been built to the exceptionally low-energy Passivhaus standard which will help to cut carbon emissions while tenants will have lower energy bills.”

Pave Aways’ Managing Director Steven Owen said: “These were the first Passivhaus homes we had built so to have received this recognition in a category alongside other major projects is a great achievement.

“A challenging site, a gap locally in the specialist skills required to build to this low energy specification and the coronavirus pandemic were all obstacles overcome to deliver these much-needed homes so we’re very proud of the Pave Aways’ team and everyone involved for this award.”

Richard Lewis, director at Hughes Architects, added: “The client took a bold decision to target Passivhaus certification on a challenging site, but the whole team from client, contractor and designers showed that complex projects can be delivered here in Mid Wales.”

News

Award winning construction firm builds strong foundation for the future

One of Shropshire and Mid Wales’ leading construction firms has made a raft of new appointments to underpin its long-term strategy for growth.

Pave Aways has appointed Sarah Jones as its first ever marketing co-ordinator with Paul Cartwright taking up a role as contracts manager. It has also welcomed back Gary Thomas as a quantity surveyor.

Sarah, a fluent Welsh speaker, will use her experience from her master’s degree in Environmental and Business Management at Bangor University to build the Pave Aways brand and support the development of its specialism in net carbon construction.

Paul studied for a HNC and HND in construction at Shrewsbury College and brings a wealth of experience to Pave Aways, having worked on projects across the UK and in sectors including healthcare, education and retail.

Gary, who was heavily involved in the £8.45m plant that Pave Aways built for automotive parts supplier Polytec Group in Telford in 2018, returns to the team, bringing an interest in sustainable construction to his new role.

Pave Aways has offices in Knockin, Newtown and Wrexham serving its client base across Shropshire, Mid and North Wales and Cheshire. Current projects it is working on include the first ever specialist treatment centre for military veterans at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital at Gobowen, a new boarding house at Shrewsbury School and converting the former Oldford School in Welshpool into a family centre and nursery for Powys County Council.

Managing Director Steven Owen said: “These new appointments will allow us to continue to develop our growing strength and expertise in low carbon and Passivhaus construction as well as further improving the environmental aspect of how we do business.

“Sarah and Paul are very welcome additions to the Pave Aways family, and we are delighted that Gary has returned to take up a new position with us.”

Construction, News, Property

Passivhaus homes earn builders award nomination

The first ever Passivhaus social housing scheme in Powys has been shortlisted in awards that will celebrate the best construction projects in Wales.

The scheme in Sarn, which was built by Pave Aways for Powys County Council, is one of four to make the final of the Residential Property of the Year category at the Constructing Excellence Wales awards. The winner will be revealed in a ceremony at Celtic Manor in Newport on June 17th.

The £1.3m development was the first social housing scheme to be built for the local authority in 30 years and the authority’s first ever Passivhaus homes.

It was developed by the council’s Affordable Housing Team and was part of the council’s Transformation Programme to deliver aspirations in Vision 2025 including to build 250 new homes by 2025.

The seven energy efficient homes — four two-bedroom bungalows, two two-bedroom and one three-bedroom houses — were built using low energy construction methods and include sustainability features such as solar panels and mechanical heat ventilation recovery systems.

Welsh-grown wood was used for the timber frame while cellulose fibre insulation, manufactured from recycled newspaper, was used to reduce the use of plastics.

The homes were designed by the Wales based Hughes Architects with support from Passivhaus experts PYC from Welshpool and consulting civil and structural engineers Bradley Associates Ltd from Cardiff.

Managing Director Steven Owen said: “This project delivered on many levels, so it’s great to see it get this recognition. As well as providing high quality energy efficient homes for tenants, it gave a significant economic boost to the area with 88 per cent of the overall spend taking place within a 30-mile radius of the project.

“It also led to the upskilling of our team and sub-contractors as they learned new skills for building Passivhaus homes that can be used in other schemes in Powys and beyond.”