Leading The Way With Hemingway

When Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway began criticising the state of UK housing in the national press it had remarkable results. A leading UK housebuilder challenged the Hemingways to see what they could design and deliver with the same kind of budget - the Hemingways accepted.

Over two years later, the result is the Staiths South Bank. A dynamic
and contemporary new housing scheme located on the banks of the River
Tyne in Gateshead. The concept behind the project was to offer a
development full of choice: from the type of house to its layout for
the community living there.

Through the Hemingways' passion, attention to detail was paid to new
materials and innovative technology during the planning of the project,
which was vital to the sustainability of the development.  The close
relationships between the different partners were also a key factor to
ensure the success of the project.

Finnforest, a leading supplier of engineered timber flooring solutions,
supplied Hemingway Design with its Finnjoists to provide a stable basis
for the flooring systems. Manufactured from Kerto and high quality
oriented strand board (OSB), Finnjoists offer a high strength to weight
ratio that produces lighter, longer spans. More importantly for the
Hemingways were the environmental credentials of the product.
Manufactured from fully certified and sustainable components, the
Finnjoist carries full environmental certification.

The section afforded by the Finnjoists allows maximum use of space for
insulation to maintain high thermal properties to enhance the energy
efficiency of the building. Quick and easy to install, the Finnjoist
was the perfect solution for a project such as the Staiths South Bank,
helping to reduce the build time and improve efficiency on site, an
important factor when trying to keep ongoing construction costs at a
minimum. 

"I had worked with Finnforest Merk before and knew the capabilities of
its products," commented Wayne Hemingway. "The Finnjoist delivers
exactly what it is meant to and its environmental and sustainable
credentials made it a natural choice for the project and we are very
happy with the results.  Our design philosophy in every area we have
worked - from Red or Dead through Doctor Martens to HemingwayDesigns
housing projects - has been to make good design available to everyone.
And to be as ethical and sustainable as possible."

Hailed as a complete success, residents are already living at Staiths
South Bank and enjoying the close-knit community, brought together by
an eclectic development designed first and foremost to offer choice and
variety for the people living there.

For further information on Finnforest visit: www.finnforest.co.uk and to find out more about the Staiths South Bank visit www.hemingwaydesign.co.uk