Quick Links
Design & Tech Services
© Ibstock Plc. 2024
Children and MP gain insight into sustainable homes
Barratt Homes has opened the doors to the Insight House at its Affinity development in Waverley in South Yorkshire. A local MP was joined by school children, colleges and universities to see the sustainable concept home.
A four-bedroom home has been transformed into an educational and interactive experience by the team at Barratt, which shows how new homes are built to save energy and be kinder to the planet. It will also help those who visit see what they can do in their own homes to live in a more sustainable way.
A class from Waverley Junior Academy, enjoyed the first tour of the concept home. The children enjoyed exploring the interactive features in the house, which are designed to show them how sustainable homes are built.
Rotherham MP, Sarah Champion, along with members of Rotherham Council, senior leaders from the construction sector, and prominent local skills and education providers, then toured the Insight House to see how Barratt Homes and Ibstock are investing in improving social mobility for people across South Yorkshire.
Gavin Birch, Managing Director at Barratt Homes Yorkshire West, “The opening of the Insight House is the first step in how we are working differently with local communities. We’re putting together a blueprint that enables the housebuilding sector to create better opportunities for local people, beyond the requirements of planning departments.
“We plan to first roll-out the social value programme across South Yorkshire, before embedding it into the way we design communities across the country.”
Barratt Homes, Britain’s biggest housebuilder, is working with Ibstock and social value organisation, Well North Enterprises, to improve opportunities in the communities where it builds new homes.
Barratt - which already invests around £700m in communities – is committed to create greater social improvements, better job prospects, improved health outcomes and more biodiverse green spaces.
Tayla Glover, a teacher from Waverley Junior Academy, added: “The children absolutely loved their hands-on experience to learn all about sustainable living and were deeply inspired to think about different careers within the construction industry.
“For all of our children, this was a wonderful experience to not only engage within the community, but to provide them with the life-skills and knowledge to take forward.”
A bold schools and skills programme
The Insight House is part of a bold schools and skills programme, launched by Barratt Homes, which aims to get one million young people ready for the workplace.
The house features fun interactive and wall displays explaining the construction process and the principles and practices that Barratt Homes follow to minimise the impact of development and provide homeowners with more energy efficient homes.
Lord Andrew Mawson, Chairman of Well North Enterprises, added: “The Well North team are enjoying working with Barratt colleagues, taking lessons learned over the past 40 years from delivering practical projects into local communities across the country.
“This is about moving to new ways of working which make a genuine and lasting impact for communities. It is a practical approach which learns by doing and has broader implications for how businesses can form meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships with the social sector.”
Joe Hudson, Chief Executive of Ibstock Plc, said: “Our partnership with Barratt and Well North, alongside many local partners in education and the local community, has helped to build our own understanding of place making and what social impact can mean to a building products manufacture. It goes beyond products that build homes – our vison is that we enable the creation of homes, places and spaces that inspire people to live and work better.
“As the leading supplier of building products and solutions in the UK, we are proud that our bricks are the welcome face of these beautiful homes. Whilst brick products are already a sustainable building material with a long-life span, we make it our responsibility to work with customers and partners on collaborative projects to support joint commitments to build more sustainable and thriving communities.
“Furthermore, the partnership is also about investing in the future of our industry. Ibstock is part of many local communities with multiple site locations across the UK. We, like Barratt, need a national skilled workforce in engineering and technology to continue to grow our business and for that, we need thriving communities and young people with aspirations to join the construction sector.’’
The Insight House is now open for schools, colleges and community organisations who are interested in learning about modern methods of construction.
For more information about developments in the area, visit the website at Barratt Homes South Yorkshire.
Similiar Stories...
WE ARE Ibstock
Sign up to our newsletter
© Ibstock Plc. 2024
