Jenkins Crag Court for Thomas Armstrong

ElecoFrame® Helps Thomas Armstrong Achieve High Eco-Homes Rating at Supported Accommodation in Cumbria.

Eleco Timber Frame has supplied its value-added timber framing solution, ElecoFrame, to Thomas Armstrong Construction for a development at Jenkins Crag Court, Kendal. The project is the first collaboration between the two companies, and employs the thermal efficiency of the ElecoFrame system across the four bungalow and 33 apartment development to meet the Eco-Homes ‘very good’ standard.

The build will provide housing for Impact Housing Association, the major provider of Supported Accommodation in Cumbria. The scheme offers housing and support for anyone over 55 years. The excellent thermal qualities of the ElecoFrame system make it particularly suitable for social housing projects. When incorporated into a sustainable house design, ElecoFrame helps to achieve compliance with all the current building regulations, including Part L. The system has been tested successfully for air tightness and can achieve U-Values between 0.29 and 0.15 W/m2K, helping to greatly reduce a building’s CO2 emissions.

The open panel construction of the ElecoFrame system uses nail plate connections and diagonal bracing to provide racking resistance, eliminating the need to use sheathing board on the outer face of wall panels. This gives unprecedented strength and rigidity, and allows rigid insulation boards to be fixed to the outside of the panels once the frame is erected. This reduces build time and also creates a ‘warm frame’ thus avoiding cold bridging and the risk of condensation. In addition, this process eliminates the need for a separate breather membrane and the taping of joints.

The open web design of the engineered Ecojoist® used within the ElecoFrame system allows for easy access for installation of piping and wiring, also making retro-installation of services a far less disruptive practice. Ecojoists are up to 40% lighter than equivalent solid joists, simplifying site handling considerably and reducing site wastage.

“For this development, the buildings were required to meet the Eco-Homes “very good” standard,” explains Thomas Armstrong Senior Contracts Manager Mark Wilkinson. “The thermal qualities of the ElecoFrame system aided the design and build measures that were needed to ensure the build attained this score and furthermore, the system allowed early progression with following trades, which lead to programme advantages.”