Hornby Flats Estate

The Project

REECH (Renewables and Energy Efficiency in Community Housing) is a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funded project aimed at improving energy efficiency in some of the most deprived communities in Liverpool. Social housing provider, One Vision Housing, accessed ERDF funding to help fund the improvement of the Hornby Flats Estate development in Litherland.

Working with housing providers throughout Merseyside and Halton, and managed by Sefton Council, REECH will eventually refurbish over 2,000 homes with a range of measures to make them more energy efficient. The programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Sefton BC, Liverpool CC, St Helens MBC, Knowsley MBC, Halton MBC, Plus Dane, Helena Partnerships, Villages Housing, Regenda, Liverpool Mutual Homes, Riverside, One Vision Housing and Your Housing.

As part of this programme, One Vision Housing invested in a major capital programme to provide a range of energy efficient improvements and extend the life of 96 flats across the “Garden City” development of the Hornby Flats Estate.

The Hornby Flats development is affectionately regarded within the wider community, evidenced by very few voids for a housing scheme set amongst gardens within a region of Merseyside dominated by terraced housing. It comprises eight, three storey buildings in a garden setting, where the original design and construction has caused substantial issues with cold bridging. These low rise apartment buildings date back to circa 1950, with some tenants having been in occupation since their initial development.

The Challenge

The concept behind the development project focussed upon upgrading the building fabric in terms of design, aesthetics and technical performance. One Vision’s investment was targeted at greatly improving the living environment and directly linking funding to the health and welfare of those occupants. Completed in September 2015, the work is an intensive, envelope refurbishment, featuring external wall insulation aimed at reducing fuel poverty, improving room air quality and extending the longevity of occupant lifestyle into the near future.

One Vision Housing has worked in partnership with Seddon Construction, Cost Consultants WYG, architectural practice Halsall Lloyd Partnership (HLP), REECH, Trowers and ROCKWOOL to deliver this high quality scheme against the tight timescale required by the funding.

The ROCKWOOL Solution

Lead architects, HLP, worked closely with One Vision Housing to meet their demand that real brickwork would still be visible to stay in keeping with the surrounding traditional brick Victorian terraces. HLP devised a design solution based on over-cladding the flats with external wall insulation that combined thermally robust detailing with contemporary classical architecture. ROCKWOOL’s BrickShield® system, the first BBA approved, insulated, external wall cladding system with a genuine brick finish, in combination with the ROCKWOOL REDArt® Silicone render system has provided the perfect solution.

Developed in a partnership between Ibstock and ROCKWOOL, the BrickShield® system, consists of a ROCKWOOL insulation board that is bonded to the exterior face of the wall. It is then mechanically fixed with thermally broken Insulating Wall Anchors. BrickShield® Natural Clay Brick Slips from Ibstock are then site-bonded to the insulation with joints pointed for a traditional brick appearance finish.

At Hornby Flats, the Brick Slip finish of “oldcott rustic” was chosen for its colour fit as well as its ability to weather naturally over time.