New Collaboration with Offsite Housing Specialist TALO
Doug Johnson
Collaboration agreement signed to accelerate delivery of ultra-low energy housing
Offsite housing specialists TALO and building performance consultants Mesh Energy have announced a collaboration agreement to accelerate the delivery of ultra-low energy homes.
The collaboration will combine TALO’s advanced timber superstructure technology from Finland with Mesh’s experience of providing net zero building performance and engineering services for housebuilders, architects and residential property developers.
Working closely together, TALO and Mesh will aim to significantly increase the energy efficiency of new homes for market sale, rent and affordable housing, exceeding both Passivhaus energy standards and Future Homes standards, in compliance with the latest regulations.
Doug Johnson, Director of Mesh Energy:
“TALO’s timber superstructure solutions for low rise housing are the very best we have seen in the UK in terms of energy efficiency, air tightness, cost and quality. Their latest projects are achieving at least a 30 per cent improvement on Passivhaus energy standards and at no cost premium. We don’t believe there is anything like this on the market today and yet it is very needed.
Some of the biggest issues facing housebuilders and developers are managing risk and addressing skills shortages. TALO’s system addresses both of these challenges extremely well.
New regulation is coming which will make it increasingly difficult for developers to balance the rising cost of building new homes to the required energy and air tightness standards and the risk of non-compliance.
New homes simply need to perform better. And yet the risk for developers is in the fabric and performance of each home. Our new collaboration will give housebuilders the benefit of much greater certainty of delivery to the required quality, air tightness and energy standards from the inception of a project.
Our work on the energy strategy, data and compliance will support TALO’s extremely efficient way of building new homes to reduce risk for residential property developers.”
TALO and Mesh have already collaborated on a number of projects. Under the new agreement, both businesses can leverage their respective experience to enhance the efficiency and economics of new residential projects.
Dr Anthony Greer, Corporate Strategy Director of TALO said:
"Our vision is to transform UK housebuilding by taking proven technology which has been used to build thousands of units in the Nordics – in one of the most extreme climates in the world. Our goal is to address some of the difficult problems that have been challenging the UK construction industry for many years – skills shortages, speed of delivery, sub-standard quality, and poor energy efficiency.
Our ultimate goal is the offsite construction of high quality, ultra-low energy homes that can eradicate fuel poverty and snagging.
By radically reducing time on site, developers can achieve a faster return on investment. They need fewer trades on site because we are using highly efficient offsite technology. Our processes are entirely dry – from forest to site – which means better air tightness performance and more accurate programme scheduling for the fitout phase to further reduce risk.
Homes built by TALO exceed Passivhaus energy and air tightness standards at no cost impediment. This means homeowners and tenants will have hugely reduced energy costs that are verified by A-rated EPC certifications.
Our housebuilding solutions will be enhanced with our collaboration with Mesh, helping to solve the technical and economic challenges that are constraining the sector and compounding the housing and cost of living crises.”
In the new arrangement, Mesh will provide the energy strategy, data analysis and compliance work to support TALO’s delivery of the offsite superstructures for low-rise housing projects – which range from terraced housing, semi-detached family homes and larger executive schemes for developers and housebuilders across the UK.
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Building performance specialist Mesh has completed a building services design project for a new flagship art gallery in Savile Row – Sadie Coles HQ. The six-storey Grade II listed Georgian townhouse in London’s Mayfair, which dates back to the 1730s, has been fully restored and transformed by lead contractor Work Ltd, to create a unique space for contemporary art. The building, once home to the Burlington Fine Arts Club in the 19th century, had been bomb damaged in World War II and used as offices post-war. It has now been sensitively reinstated as a space for artists to exhibit their work in a part of London which has a long association with contemporary art. The key aim of this extensive refurbishment project was to work to a fast-track programme for the gallery’s opening to coincide with the Frieze Art Fair. Mesh was appointed to develop a holistic MEP building services strategy, from concept through to detailed design, and in keeping with the character and constraints of this heritage building. Enhanced control of the internal environment was required to maintain visitor comfort all year round and in the context of continually fluctuating occupancy levels, including events for up to 200 people. Working within a Grade II listed building required a highly considered approach at every stage – historic architectural features were revealed and restored internally and externally, and extensive structural improvements were required to accommodate art loadings. These factors had to be reflected in the services design and specification. Mesh used dynamic thermal modelling for different scenarios of use to understand the heating and cooling loads required and to allow the services to be accurately sized for each room or gallery. Two priorities were cooling and for each area to be individually controlled according to occupancy levels. Discrete but robust heating and cooling provision was designed for the gallery areas and the MEP services were concealed in void spaces to avoid impacting on the architectural features of the building or the layout of the galleries. Plant and equipment had to be sited in compliance with stringent planning requirements, which limited the number, size, position and visual impact of the external units. Passive measures were introduced to reduce energy consumption and included actuated openable rooflights in a glazed lantern to purge warm air during the day and reduce the reliance on the active cooling system. Giles Reid, Giles Reid Architects: “The new gallery has succeeded in its ambition – to reaffirm that London has an important position in the global art world. This was a complex project which had to be delivered in just nine months from planning approval for the fixed deadline for opening, and despite having to carry out extensive structural alterations. The building is performing well from a services perspective, including at the opening event which was attended by around 800 guests. The M&E design in contemporary art spaces like this must never detract, visually or acoustically, from the art being exhibited and this has been successfully achieved. This is a fantastic statement building which has been acclaimed and the Client is thrilled. It is a credit to everyone involved that this historic building has been brought back into use for contemporary art.” Doug Johnson, Founding Director of Mesh: “This project demonstrates exactly what intelligent building services engineering should deliver – an integrated, high-performance solution to deliver year-round-comfort for visitors and users of the building whilst maintaining a clean aesthetic. Working within a Grade II listed building with complex planning restrictions required genuinely creative engineering rather than a conventional response. We are really proud to have contributed to this outstanding building transformation.” The Project Team: Client: Sadie Coles HQ Lead contractor (design and delivery): Work Ltd Architectural partner: Giles Reid Architects MEP design / building performance: Mesh About Mesh Mesh offers a range of design and engineering services to help organisations in the public and private sectors to improve the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings, housing and estates. This includes support for architects; planning; thermal modelling and overheating analyses; carbon reduction strategies; feasibility studies for renewable technologies; MEP design, and regulatory compliance. Architectural images - Joseph Asghar
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