Concepts

24-hour House

TRADIS wall panels, floors cassettes and roof plates have been used to erect the structural shell of a five-bedroom house in just 24 hours by private developer, Urbane, in Bristol. Although built as a totally commercial project, the 24-hour house is also set to star in a forthcoming BBC TV series, ‘Home Wasn’t Built in a Day’, showing a range of shelters that can be constructed in that timeframe. By far the most ambitious project in the series, the house construction was selected by the producers to demonstrate the ultimate habitable, weathertight structure that can realistically be constructed in a single day.

Along with its suitability for ultra-fast construction, TRADIS was specified for this project because of its ability to deliver high levels of insulation and a healthy living environment, as well as being manufactured from recycled or sustainable materials.

The 260 m², two storey house was constructed using 170mm deep TRADIS wall panels, 250mm deep floor cassettes (creating the suspended ground floor) and 300mm deep roof plates, delivering U values of 0.27 W/m²K, 0.15 W/m²K and 0.18 W/m²K respectively. The predicted annual space and water heating cost for the house is just £269 and the predicted CO₂ emissions will be a minimal 3.4 tonnes per year. The house achieved a five star SAP rating of 105.

Following the construction of the TRADIS shell, the house was then immediately ready for following trades to undertake the internal fit out and provide an external finish of lime render and clay roof tiles.