It’s all well and good talking about healthier homes and sustainable building techniques, but we’re on a mission to make it real. And to inspire others to do the same.
At our newly launched developments – The Tramyard in Balham and No. 1 Millbrook Park in Mill Hill – we’re doing just that.
For our Homeowners
When it comes to our homeowners, we’re exploring how design and innovation can help us build homes that promote mental and physical wellbeing. One of our key Live Well goals is to create homes that are virtually toxin-free (you can never get rid of all of them). And at The Tramyard and No. 1 Millbrook Park, we’re well on our way there.
Both developments are fitted with MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery) systems. These filters remove stale air and pollens from the whole home, while providing a supply of fresh, filtered air to every room.
Because air from polluted sources is extracted and clean air circulated, we aren’t breathing in toxins and harmful microparticles while we’re eating, sleeping or settling down with an evening film with our family. And for asthma and allergy sufferers, pollens and dust are removed from the air, relieving symptoms through improved air quality.
These MVHR systems, together with the low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paint and gas-free kitchens, make for a significant reduction in toxicity. Which means healthier homes for our customers.
Beyond this, we understand the importance of space and natural light for mental wellbeing. Which is why we make the ceilings in our homes as high as possible – 2.7m high at The Tramyard – and we fit floor-to-ceiling windows in the living areas, welcoming in natural light throughout the day.
For the Planet
We’ve challenged ourselves to develop a portfolio entirely made up of energy positive buildings by 2025. A big task, we know. But we’re confident we can make it happen.
We’re already making headway at No. 1 Millbrook Park and The Tramyard, where we’ve fitted photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of the developments. By absorbing sunlight to generate electricity, the solar panels provide all the common areas with electricity, reducing the need for and strain on the earth’s fossil fuels.
We’ve also fitted low energy lighting throughout the buildings, saving on electricity and reducing CO2 emissions by up to 500kg per lightbulb. And outside both developments, we’ve installed an electric car charging point, making sure it’s as easy as possible for our homeowners to join the revolution and go electric.
For our Communities
Community is one of the most important considerations for us as developers. Our homes are part of neighbourhoods, communities, cultures. And it’s our job to make sure our places benefit those communities.
This starts long before the first brick is laid. For every one of our developments, we invite the community to feed into our draft design proposals. The comments and feedback are collated and worked into the final designs.
From there, we start to build relationships with local schools and businesses. We recently teamed up with the South Thames college, giving students the opportunity to design a sculpture for The Tramyard’s entrance foyer. And when it comes to business, we’re always running social campaigns in partnership with local cafés, restaurants, shops and bars.
It’s all about making sure our places become an asset to the area, making it stronger not weaker, helping to build the sense of community that’s so important to the health and success of our cities – today and in years to come.
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We’re relishing being able to put our thoughts and ideas into practice. But this is just the start. We’re always thinking, testing, exploring and experimenting, finding new ways to look after our communities and our planet, and to help our people Live Well.
