Kingspan Lighthouse design
"This super insulated, airtight building has been designed to provide a way of living that encourages lifestyles that are inherently ‘light' on the world's resources. "
Gilbert McCarthy, Managing Director of Kingspan Off-Site
The timber clad Kingspan Lighthouse has a barn-form design derived from a 40-degree roof pitch that accommodates a photovoltaics array. The sweeping roof envelopes a central living space - a generous, open plan, top-lit, double-height area - with the sleeping accommodation at ground level.
The super-insulated, airtight building fabric was designed to provide generous daylight levels and includes solar control. Other aspects of the house include:
Code level 6 - the Kingspan Lighthouse has achieved Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH). This means it is a net-zero carbon home. It has zero carbon energy supply for space and water heating and all electrical power demand for the home, including electrical cooking and appliances.
Renewable energy - renewable energy technologies include a biomass boiler, a wind catcher, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, building integrated photovoltaics and a solar-thermal array.
Water - the house's integrated sustainable technologies include water efficiency techniques such as low volume sanitary ware and appliances. Around 30% of the water in the house is provided from rainwater harvesting or grey water recycling systems.
Blueprint - the Lighthouse has been designed to provide a blueprint from which a range of sustainable house types will be developed. Kingspan Off-Site has devised the technical systems and solutions to allow housebuilders and developers to incorporate the concept of the Lighthouse design into any masterplan scheme, enabling them to create homes with performance levels specifically tuned to meet whatever level of the CSH they require.
Arrange a visit to the Kingspan Lighthouse and the rest of the BRE Innovation Park using our online booking system, calling 0845 22 32 966 or emailing innovationpark@bre.co.uk