Gosport: Rowner homes shortlisted in the 2013 Sustainable Housing Awards

Homes built as part of Rowner’s regeneration have been shortlisted in the Energy Performance category of The Sustainable Housing Awards 2013. The awards, organised by Inside Housing magazine and its sister publication Sustainable Housing, put the spotlight on the best green social housing projects constructed in the UK, and the organisations responsible for their delivery.

Portsmouth-based First Wessex (part of the Rowner Renewal Partnership) worked closely with the Zero Carbon Hub to trial a core component of the proposed zero-carbon home definition, the Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard (FEES). This involved developing two blocks of apartments (12 in each) with identical designs along Howe Road in Rowner, Gosport, Hampshire. Both blocks are adjacent to each other but are built to different standards – one to FEES and the other to the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3.

This provided a unique opportunity where the blocks could be directly compared and contrasted over two years to understand the benefits for future developments.

Hazel Warwick, deputy chief executive for First Wessex and spokesperson for the Rowner Renewal Partnership, said: "The Rowner Research Project has played a crucial part in advancing the sustainability agenda for residential construction in England, and it continues to be used as a case study for future research.

“We are delighted to be a finalist in the Sustainable Housing Awards this year. The monitoring data and research undertaken at our regeneration in Rowner has guided the work of First Wessex and the Zero Carbon Hub complementing anecdotal evidence with solid facts.”

The awards will be presented at a ceremony hosted by the stand-up comedian, TV and radio regular Josie Long on October 18 at the Lancaster London Hotel.