A Fife housing project designed to trial new alternative methods of construction has been nominated for three prestigious awards.
The £3 million Housing Innovation Showcase, a joint initiative by Kingdom Housing Association and Fife Council, has produced 27 high quality houses at a site in Dunlin Drive, Dunfermline.

The project was developed through  support from Green Business Fife and Fife Construction Forum. The Scottish Government provided funding assistance to Kingdom for the project

Over 2,500 construction and housing professionals last month visited the showcase to see the new homes which were built by ten different construction partnerships which used modern methods of construction to build energy-efficient houses.

Five hundred local people also attended a successful family day.The organisers have now been informed that the Housing Innovation Showcase has won a Scottish Green Apple Award for environmental best practice.

The Showcase has also been nominated for a Scottish Home award and it has been shortlisted for the Fife Partnership Excellence Awards.

Bill Banks, Depute Chief Executive with Kingdom said: “The aim of the project was to demonstrate how alternative construction systems and new technologies could be mainstreamed into future projects and we feel this has been achieved. The feedback received from visitors has been very positive and will hopefully encourage others to replicate some of the systems on their projects. Unless a different approach is adopted there is a danger that standards will be compromised and future building regulation standards will be difficult to achieve. In addition to the systems built on the site, the project has also delivered a range of community benefits.”

Bill added: “This project would not have been successful, without the input from Fife Council and the support received from all the consultants, suppliers, preferred partners and contractors involved with the project and I would like thank everyone for their proactive approach to collaborative working.”

Derek Muir, Fife Council's Head of Housing and Neighbourhood Services, said: "Fife Council were delighted to be involved with Kingdom Housing Association in this project. It has represented an opportunity to consider housing, climate change and economic objectives in a single integrated development. Although a remarkable project in this respect, it will, more importantly, provide new homes for households who will benefit from the various measures through their everyday lives. We look forward to seeing the energy efficiency measures within these properties being used in future affordable housing developments."