Building our Community
Construction Finished
Construction of the new community building completed Summer of 2008 opened to Companions August. We now cater for 20 homless people working within our Community.
Please click here to see a Photo History of our new building.
Green and Economical
There were plenty of considerations in planning the new Community building although the site size, planning constraints and budget meant that we were limited as to which areas we had total control over. Our primary aim was to provide a home for twenty Companions and two staff plus as much communal living, dining, administration and reception space as possible.
High on our 'wish list' was the desire to achieve an environmentally friendly building with as many green credentials as possible.
Woodchip Boiler - We focused mainly on energy use and sustainable fuel supplies, and having considered wind, solar and geothermal solutions it was decided to install a woodchip burning boiler for heating and hot water. Efficient, and with low carbon emissions, the boiler will be run by woodchips checked out as fit for the job as quality is extremely important. Investigations are under way for Companions to generate the Community's own supplies elsewhere by producing chips from wood that would otherwise be scrapped and destined for landfill.
Low Energy - Other economical and green features include high standard thermal insulations, low energy lighting, control systems to cut down on wasted power, low flush WC's, natural ventilation where possible and the use of recycled material.