Private Houses: New Build
Winner: Lower Mill Estate, Somerford Keynes, Cotswolds

Lower Mill Estate, Somerford Keynes, Cotswolds, is a 450 acre development of contemporary, diverse and architecturally progressive waterside holiday homes built on a former quarry pit. A mix of terraced, semi-detached and detached luxury homes was planned to emulate village life.

The architect, Richard Reed Associates, required a quality finish for the external facades, in line with the other high-spec materials used. The finish needed to be fully accredited, meet with NHBC approval and surpass thermal efficiency requirements under Building Regulations.

The PermaRock external wall insulation system, incorporating 65 mm EPS insulation was used in conjunction with thermalite blockwork to achieve a U-value of 0.30 W/m²K, surpassing Building Regulations. The clean, seamless, through-coloured render in a variety of colours and design flexibility gave the homes individuality.

The system designer was Permarock Products Ltd; the installer, Joyner P.A. Ltd – both INCA members.