Design & Build New Homes, West Lothian

Design and build of 545 new social homes in the West Lothian area.

Partners

West Lothian Council

Contract Value           £45m

The Brief

Lovell were selected after a competitive tender process to design and build 545 new social homes in the West Lothian area.

The homes will be built in eight locations, Armadale, Bathgate, Blackburn, three sites in Livingston (Alderstone Road, Inveralmond and Eliburn), Uphall Station and Whitburn. All homes  have been designed to achieve a 15 per cent reduction in carbon emissions against the standards required by the 2007 Building Regulations (an energy efficiency improvement set out in the Scottish Government's Planning Advice Note 84). The properties will incorporate a range of energy efficiency measures including enhanced insulation, energy efficiency heating systems and positive input ventilation.

The Challenges

• Working jointly with the Scottish Government and Scottish Natural Heritage we developed a method of working so as not to disturb the natural habitat of badgers, otters, bats and water voles
• Sites required significant excavation work to create the level surfaces needed to meet HFVN standards
• Sustainable urban drainage solutions had to be adopted
• Archaeological excavations on each site
• Flood impact assessments carried out and off site flood mitigation works carried out

The Benefits

• Photovoltaic panels being installed as a trial on 10 homes. The intended benefits will lead to cheaper electricity for the residents along with additional revenue to the client
• As part of our commitment to use local labour, we are working with Access2Employment to source 50 local people and 10 apprentices
• Two of Lovell's Construction Ambassadors attend the local schools in partnership with Construction Skills
• Work experience placements with West Lothian Council's apprentices

Project Status

On-site

Download a PDF version of this project sheet:  West Lothian - Design & Build