Europes First Plastic Free Site, Reddich

Green Square Accord constructed the first virtually plastic free homes in Europe in 2022. 12 Apartments were constructed on the site in Redditch. In-Design & LoCaL Homes worked to find innovative and practical ways to not only reduce plastic use in construction, but to virtually remove the use of plastic in the entire design. The homes feature innovative components including wiring made with mineral insulation and Graphenstone paint which will absorb 10kg of CO2 and does not give off Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which can be damaging to the environment and may have health implications.

The homes are closed panel timber framed with a MVHR system using natural materials in kitchens and bathrooms including sisal flooring. Our closed panel timber frames reduce carbon used in manufacture and the timber comes from sustainable forests to reduce net carbon emissions. Our panels are also quick to install reducing emissions from construction. This, combined with our factory process which ensures that any waste is recycled where it can be, makes our houses as sustainable as possible. Arden Windows Ltd of Coventry were selected for the manufacture, supply and installation of the windows and doors for this project. Arden are fully certified to ISO9001 and ISO14001 and were able to meet the high thermal and security specification requirements of this project with ease incorporating Triple Glazing, and their Secured By Design certified system. Arden were able to demonstrate their sustainability credentials and low embodied carbon throughout the production process. Arden only use sustainable FSC® timber in the manufacture of their windows and doors, meaning the timber used is fully traceable to the source forest and any harvested trees are replenished. Timber window frames are Carbon Neutral over their lifetime and are a great way to reduce carbon footprints in construction. Furthermore Arden offset carbon by burning waste wood and sawdust to create heat for their factory and all products are supplied fully finished using water based coating systems.