Green futures

We were delighted to be involved in one of the most innovative environmental construction projects in the UK: the Green Futures project in Dudley, West Midlands. Working with the Black Country Housing and Community Services Group, we developed a brownfield site into a showcase of the very latest in green technologies and sustainable construction methods.

Part of the development was the UK's first Eco-Pod, a 230m¹ basement where visitors can study the design, fabrication and construction of the houses. Thousands of visitors – contractors, local authorities, tradespeople – have already visited and been amazed by the Eco-Pod.

Among the green technologies are alternative heating and power systems, including solar panels, solar water heaters, wind power, sun tubes, ground-source heat pumps and a gas-powered combined heat and power unit. There are also water conservation devices to re-use grey water and harvest rainwater; advanced waste recycling; and advanced multi-layer insulation.

Richard Baines, Director of Sustainable Development at Black Country Housing, comments: ‘This project has helped people learn about sustainable technologies and also helped many local businesses to develop innovative products of their own. On top of that, we have been able to use, in other projects, around 80% of the technologies trialled. It is a credit to Lovell that despite this being an incredibly complex design, barely a thing has gone wrong. Their expertise was invaluable.’