The Natural Nursing Home

Ecoplus System windows and doors specified for East Riding Council Care Home, Beverley

When East Riding Council commissioned a new-build care home in the centre of Beverley, it wanted a design which maximised the comfort for residents and helped make them feel at home. Council architect Dave Hall and senior architectural technician Mike Plaxton were keen to give the 40-bed care home a domestic ambience so that residents would feel less ‘institutionalised’. To this end, the home was designed around small 6/7 bedroom clusters - with numerous social areas being spread throughout the home.

To enhance a more domestic feeling in the care home, the use of natural timber for windows and doors was preferred over the more familiar Council choice of aluminium. After much research into different timber window options, the architects chose Green Building Store’s Ecoplus System windows and doors. According to architect Dave Hall, “We were very impressed with the quality of the Ecoplus System windows and doors – they were definitely the best quality of all the timber window systems we looked at”. Visiting the Ecoplus System manufacturing base in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire further confirmed the architects’ impressions of Green Building Store’s craftsmanship, quality and dedication. However, persuading East Riding Council to opt for timber windows was not easy. The Council was wary following previous experiences with poor quality timber windows and was concerned about maintenance issues. In the end, however, the Council’s architects were won over by the Ecoplus System’s superior design quality and were reassured about its minimal maintenance requirements.

Without being an overt aim, sustainability issues were integral to the design of the home. The site was in an awkward town centre location and the architects made great efforts to orientate the building to enhance passive solar gain so that less heating would be needed. The home uses underfloor heating to give an even heat, which can be adjusted depending on heat gained through the windows. Given the high temperatures usually needed in nursing homes, this will potentially reduce energy use considerably. Timber solar shading panels were used to prevent over-heating.

The Ecoplus System’s low U-values (1.5W/m2K) and use of SuperSpacer warm edge technology were also a big advantage in the design. The low U values helped the architects maximise the size of windows in residents’ bedrooms. They were keen to make the rooms attractive enough for residents to stay in their own rooms during the day if they wished and used a low sill height so that residents could have a good view outside. Use of the warm edge Superspacer helps reduce heat loss and condensation at the edge of the glazing units, increasing comfort for residents.

The project featured a number of other green elements: The site for the care home had reduced views of outdoor green space, due to its town centre location. To help rectify this, the architects designed a natural sedum roof on one part of its roof, to improve residents’ views and the natural amenity around the home. The architects were also pleased with the Ecoplus System’s use of FSC 100% timber – an improvement on other window manufacturers’ use of FSC Mixed timber – which helped to enhance the sustainable aspects of the project.

In total, Green Building Store supplied well over 100 windows and doors to the site. The project was completed in 2007 and residents have now moved in. To some extent, the care home has been used by the Council as a trial to consider specification of timber windows and doors for other projects. Architect Dave Hall hopes that they will be used more widely throughout the Authority – eg on schools projects. He has been very impressed with the quality of the Ecoplus System windows and doors and would definitely specify them again for future projects. The windows and doors were fitted and installed by sub-contractor Farrarcrest Jonery who said of the Ecoplus System, “We are very pleased with the service and how the project went”.

Client East Riding Council www.eastriding.gov.uk

David Hall now works for the Bramhall Blenkharn architectural practice in North Yorkshire.

Contractor Houltons www.houlton.co.uk

Sub-contractor Farracrest Joinery www.fcljoinery.co.uk

Supplier Green Building Store www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk