Birmingham-based building services provider JS Wright has won a £900,000 contract to fit out one of the UK’s greenest social housing developments.
The mechanical services specialist will enable residents at the new Lightmoor Village Extra Care scheme in Telford, Shropshire to protect the planet as well as enjoy maximum care and comfort through a range of carbon-saving systems.

Main contractor Thomas Vale Construction has commissioned JS Wright to install solar-heated water, rainwater harvesting and wind catching systems designed by Aecom for the scheme's 59 self-contained apartments.

The apartments, which are supported by high-class community facilities including a bistro, hair salon and gym, have been developed by Bournville Village Trust in partnership with the Homes & Communities Agency (HCA) and Telford and Wrekin Borough Council to provide an alternative to residential care for older and disabled people.

JS Wright will be installing solar roof panels that preheat the cold water feed to a central boiler house for the domestic hot water system, and a harvesting system that stores rainwater in underground tanks before being circulated to toilet cisterns.

It will also be installing rooftop wind catchers with automatic dampers to control airflow through the apartments to maintain comfortable temperatures.

The company will start work on site this October on the six-month contract, which will also involve installing above ground drainage and sanitary ware. The development is scheduled for completion in July 2011.

'Lightmoor is an exciting initiative - an inclusive community built on the same principles as the original Bournville Village in Birmingham,' said
John McNulty, director of development at Bournville Village Trust.

'The 800 homes at Lightmoor Village are being developed in such a way that their long-term impact on the environment and local ecology are minimised,' he added.

'We chose JS Wright because of their experience with similar care schemes and its pro-active approach to their works,' Stuart Logan, contracts manager for Thomas Vale Construction, commented.