DIGITAL DESIGN | WHOLEHOUSE SYSTEM A cutaway view of a WholeHouse design Travis Perkins WholeHouse digital design platform allows housebuilders to deliver efficient, repeatable housing to the latest sustainability standards, and includes prefabricated heat pump systems. Alex Smith reports BEAUTY IN STANDARDISATION Baxis is the only appropriate heating system featured in the software at the moment T o meet the UKs carbonreduction targets, the Prime Ministers TenPoint Plan established an ambition to grow the heat pump market to 600,000 installations per year by 2028. The current reality is that a paltry 60,000 were installed in the UK last year which, at two heat pumps per household, put the country at the bottom of the European heat pump league. To increase the number of installations in new homes, the government is taking a big stick approach and proposing to ban gas and oil boilers in new homes from 2026. Its a huge challenge, especially for small to medium-sized housebuilders that are familiar with gas boilers, and may not have the resources to design and develop homes based on alternative heating systems. Building merchant Travis Perkins has recognised this predicament and launched a 30 August 2023 www.cibsejournal.com digital platform called WholeHouse, aimed at streamlining the design and delivery of low carbon homes. Lee Jackson, WholeHouse director at Travis Perkins, says the industry lacks the skilled workers required to meet government heat pump targets, and a new digital approach is required that simplifies design and installation, and encourages the prefabrication of building systems. Ive opened too many airing cupboards where Ive been met by a wall of pipework thats 15 layers deep, says Jackson. The average plumber has spent years installing combi boilers, and now they are expected to put back in a cylinder and install an air source heat pump [ASHP]. Without help, Jackson believes plumbers will have to learn from job to job, and will deliver inefficient heat pump systems until they have gained experience. WholeHouse is a 3D online design tool that allows the housebuilder to design any size home using a variety of materials and systems, including heat pumps. The software has strict parameters to ensure whatever is selected leads to the most energy efficient and cost-effective design possible. Once a design is settled on by the user, the program produces a set of drawings and the bill of materials in just 45 minutes. In developing the software, Travis Perkins assembled a team of 20 suppliers and consultants to come up with design parameters that guarantee the softwares outputs are optimised for cost and energy efficiency. Upfront design is undervalued in housebuilding, says Jackson, who is a trained architect. Its critical, with new technologies, to make sure the design is correct then we have a fighting chance of delivering what we intend to. Some designs, such as the heating system, can be prefabricated off site, which cuts down on waste and reduces the need for