Case study: Ecoplus
East Riding Council Care Home
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. To enhance a more domestic feeling, 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 windows and doors. According to architect Dave Hall, “We were
very impressed with the quality of the Ecoplus windows and doors
– they were definitely the best quality of all the timber window
systems we looked at”.
The Ecoplus System’s low U-values (1.5W/m2K) were also a big advantage
in the design and helped the architects maximise the size of windows in
residents’ bedrooms. Use of the warm edge Superspacer helps reduce heat
loss and condensation at the edge of the glazing units, increasing
comfort for residents. The architects were also pleased with the
Ecoplus’ 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.
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: Farrarcrest Joinery www.fcljoinery.co.uk