About one tenth of all of the UK’s energy consumption is consumed in the manufacture and transportation of building materials and it is the aim of Adaptahaus to make maximum efficiencies in its supply chain so as to minimize the environmental impact of this existing high energy construction industry.

Chains of custody will be established for the procurement of the variety of construction materials needed for Adaptahaus houses and, wherever possible, these will be procured locally using existing Cumbrian suppliers.

Steel will be sourced through Corus, via local steel stockholders, who can verify 70% recycled steel sections; concrete will be kept to a minimum by the pouring of individual footings for the vertical steel columns; the external cladding will be UK grown larch or green oak, very durable timbers which will require no applied coatings; UK grown hardwood will be used for skirtings, architraves and trims; insulation will also be from sustainable sources; glazed wall panels and sliding doors will be manufactured in the UK; the wall and floor timber framed sealed panels will be manufactured from European and British timber, all timber products being from managed sources conforming to FSC, PEFC and FFCS standards. The timber products, insulation and membranes will be fabricated into sealed timber framed panels followed by the installation of all services, windows, doors, underfloor heating and external cladding prior to installation on site.

These and other construction materials through to the kitchen, bathrooms and fixed furniture will be sourced responsibly so as to limit their environmental impact. In addition the lifetime energy consumption of the buildings will be minimised through the use of these sustainable materials and through their high thermal performance and the air tightness that will be achieved in the buildings as a result of their specification and method of construction.