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JANUARY 10 - THROWING LIGHT ON PROVIDING SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

A new housing development in an area of regeneration, marketed as having ‘something for everyone, can further substantiate its claim with inclusion of sustainable elements….

Charles Church’s Fairhills Point in Irlam, Manchester includes homes for first time buyers through down-sizers to large families and families with disabilities; of the 67 homes on the site, 11 include Glidevale’s Sunscoop tubular rooflights, supplied by FGF in Manchester.

The 250mm dia domed Sunscoops help flood the stairwells of the three-storey, four/five bedroomed ‘Turnbury’ properties with natural light, increasing the feeling of space and light in the open plan home.

Glidevale’s Sunscoop comprises a clear-glazed dome or in-plane rooflight mounted on the pitched roof which reflects daylight down a highly mirrored tube through the roofspace to a ‘diffuser’ mounted in the ceiling below. Domed rooflights are claimed to provide up to 10 times more natural light into a building than a comparative-sized window, and research by the Silsoe Institute showed the Sunscoop gives at least four times more light than a 60watt electric bulb on a clear summer day, yet the system uses NO energy to operate. The Sunscoop glazing and flashings are all AA fire rated, enabling use without restriction in number, spacing, position or proximity to neighbouring properties.

Vicki Hammond for Charles Church commented, “There is something for everyone at Fairhills Point, with properties for purchasers across the entire house-buying spectrum. The homes have all been designed to maximise living accommodation, and enhance that feeling of space. The Sunscoops bring tons of light into the Turnbury homes- yet use no electricity in the process, so give buyers of that house style an additional, environmentally-friendly benefit.”

Irlam is seeing significant investment, as part of the regeneration of Salford- including upgrading of the main A57 route, reducing to minutes the access time to both the M6 and M60 motorway networks. Salford City Council is investing in upgrading the local high schools. Charles Church is one of several quality housebuilders developing sites in the suburb and leading grocery chains have already opened new stores in the area.

Glidevale is part of the Building Product Design Group, which specialises in developing innovative yet practical roofing and ventilation products in line with changing market requirements.

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