Our Footprint

Carbon Neutral Housing

If all goes to plan, the UK economy will be at ‘zero carbon’ by 2050. This is not science fiction; it is a legal commitment by the UK government and housing will be a huge part of this. The Committee on Climate Change, which monitors Britain’s progress on climate targets, said in 2018 that this is not possible “without near complete decarbonisation of the housing stock”.

But how will we shrink our carbon footprint this much? And what role will the built environment play?

We are changing the way people live by changing the homes they live in. Constantly innovating and striving to achieve our zero-carbon vision: find out why A Different Approach is at the apex of sustainable home design.

We’ve worked tirelessly to ensure our Zero Carbon designed Smart Homes are the embodiment of sustainable living. Instead of burning through fossil fuels, our homes implement state-ofthe-art technologies to regulate energy usage efficiently and generate clean energy from the sun.

We’re proud to be striving to make zero-carbon living an achievable reality and recognise a pound spent on energy for a young family is a pound that could be spent on a mortgage and for an older population the same is true that a pound spent on energy is a pound that could be spent on retirement and social care.

Modern Methods of Construction

Modern methods of construction (MMC) offer the opportunity to rethink how we conceptualise, design and build muchneeded housing, the industry promises up to 265,000 additional homes in the next ten years if a third of new homes used MMC. They can speed up the process, make challenging sites viable, and provide varied and adaptable homes that respond to local character and needs.

Over the past decade, modular construction has grown substantially. A recent report by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills has estimated the total value of the offsite construction industry at £1.5 billion, with the potential to grow to £6 billion.

Attitudinal changes towards offsite building techniques, as well as their increased sustainability and capabilities as seen on many high-profile jobs, have all contributed to this growth.

Why MMC?

It is widely recognised that modular has the potential to reduce overall construction programmes and the impact on rural communities

  • Offsite construction is up to 50% quicker than traditional – buildings can be created onsite in timeframes as short as just four weeks.
  • Offsite construction can reduce up to 90% of waste generated when compared with traditional construction methods.
  • Some modular buildings are now manufactured using recyclable material from other projects.
  • Being adaptable and flexible to changing needs, modular buildings are easy to move without disturbing surrounding landscapes.
  • Compared to an equivalent, traditionally built project, up to 67% less energy is required to produce a modular building.
  • Offsite construction also impacts on the carbon footprint of a building, as it allows for a reduction of the total number of deliveries to sites by 90%.

Conclusion - Our Legacy

Our legacy should be to leave a positive impact on the people and communities we interact with, by providing appropriate, high quality homes where they are needed, creating opportunities for skill-development, helping local business to remain and thrive within their communities, and supporting independence to enable our future generations to thrive.

For us, legacy is a gift that grows with each new experience, with each previously untested idea, with bold ideals that you are courageous enough to deploy and with inspiring others to see hopes and dreams through to fruition.

'A Different Approach’ represents the outcome of the collective work carried out by the team. It focuses on delivering the types of homes that communities tell us they need; homes which meet the needs of ordinary people, young families, older generations, and those with additional needs. We hope that together we can tackle the multigenerational issues around loneliness and independence and build the sorts of communities where nobody gets left behind.