Social housing scheme offers a window to the future

Hats off to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for the recent completion of 12 new social housing units which have been given a silver award by the Irish Green Building Council.

Built as part of a rapid delivery programme, the 10 two-bed terraced houses and two two-bed semi-detached houses, located in the centre of Dún Laoghaire on former council land at George's Place, were designed and built by John Sisk & Son, and were completed to the highest of standards.

They will provide much-needed homes in the area and are part of the council’s target to deliver 1,563 social housing homes by 2021.

The neat row of houses, tucked into a dense urban area, is built to a high design specification using the latest building techniques.

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The energy efficient homes meet the nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB) specification that will become mandatory for all housing stock in the near future, and they offer a great example of the quality that can be achieved despite a rapid-build mandate.

Speaking at the launch of the new homes, Stephen Bowcott, chief executive of John Sisk & Son, said: "This is our first delivery of social houses since 2009 and we are quite proud to confirm that it is being delivered early, by three weeks. We have also proven that builders on a design, build and finance basis can deliver homes at a far lower cost than developers who take the risk of speculatively purchasing land up front for the carrot of big margins."

The new homes scored high on the home performance index for “walkability”, as they limit the need for cars because of their proximity to nearby amenities and services.

The properties all have a Building Energy Rating (BER) of A1, heat recovery ventilation systems that deliver good indoor air quality, and triple-glazed windows. The new tenants will move in in the coming weeks.