A manufacturer gearing up to make panelised homes with recycled glass has had its first housing scheme in Scotland approved.
Dumfries and Galloway Council granted planning permission for four affordable homes built with the panels on a brownfield site at Closeburn, north of Dumfries.
If the project goes ahead, Vaso Global will make the panels at its new 60,000 sq ft factory at Irongray Park, Dumfries, for assembly on site.
Named after the Spanish word for glass, the system’s main input is recycled bottles, which are crushed, fused with binders and compressed into sheets.
The sheets are coated with glass-reinforced plastic skins configured as needed for the desired performance.
The factory can make panels for any building design. On site, they can be bonded together or mechanically joined using composite ties and rods.
Search for funding starts
The Closeburn scheme received support from South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE), the region’s economic development agency.
SOSE commissioned a feasibility study for it as a partnership between South of Scotland Community Housing, Vaso Global and Nith Valley Leaf Trust (NVLT), which champions local, sustainable projects.
“SOSE is excited to be on this journey with Vaso Global, which is just the sort of innovative company we want to work alongside,” said SOSE chief executive Jane Morrison-Ross.
“In doing so, we can unlock solutions which can benefit not just the south of Scotland, but the UK and the rest of the world.”
On the planning permission, NVLT’s Mike Steele said: “This means we can now move forward to seek funding, buy the land and work with partners to build these state-of-the-art modern homes.”
‘Pioneering housing solution’
Eddie Black, Vaso Global’s co-founder and chief executive, said: “We are really proud that a product made in Scotland starts its journey right here on home soil in a country renowned for its pioneering innovations. It’s a really exciting moment for us all.
“Vaso’s thermally efficient, affordable housing solution, delivered quickly, efficiently and economically, will create the quality homes which residents deserve.”
Mike Staples, chief executive of South of Scotland Community Housing, said: “We have been working in partnership to plan and deliver housing innovation with Nith Valley Leaf Trust over a number of years and therefore it seems fitting that this project should be central to testing the pioneering Vaso housing solution.”
£5m in funding
At the start of this year, Vaso was one of 25 SMEs picked for the fifth iteration of the Social Housing Emerging Disruptors framework, known as SHED 5.
It brings social housing providers together with SMEs offering new solutions to simplify onerous public procurement processes, hasten the take-up of innovation and give emerging suppliers a better chance of market success.
In June, Vaso Global secured £5m to develop its new Dumfries factory, which the company hopes will employ 70 people in the next five years.
