The first of Wienerberger’s e4 brick houses has been officially opened by Lord John Prescott at the BRE’s Innovation Park in Watford.
The official opening coincided with the Park’s tenth anniversary and was attended by dignitaries including Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association and Richard Lupo, senior sustainability consultant at Sustainable Homes, who both gave speeches that provided a platform for discussion around the need for more affordable, sustainable homes in the UK.
The e4 brick house concept was developed in conjunction with ARUP and the model focuses on the four pillars of Wienerberger’s global e4 concept; energy, economy, environment, and emotion.
Wienerberger says its e4 brick house utilises a fabric first approach using a clay building envelope to deliver a house with reduced energy needs, meaning lower running costs for the homeowner. It is also the first to be assessed to BRE’s new Home Quality Mark, which was launched earlier this year.
Richard Brown, category marketing manager at Wienerberger and project lead for e4, explained: “We were delighted to open the first e4 brick house in the UK this week with Lord John Prescott. The house represents a big step in terms of sustainable building, and we are looking forward to promoting the principles of Wienerberger’s e4 concept, as well as building sustainably with clay as a way to combat the hosuing crisis. The event provided a great opportunity for discussion around the issues currently facing the house-building sector and we are excited to be at the forefront of this discussion.”
