On-site at Oakfield - 2021 so far...

The outside of Oakfield’s first homes are nearly complete and work has begun on the inside

Oakfield began to rise from the ground at the start of this year and through some pretty challenging weather conditions, Mi-space committed to laying bricks and building walls to their usual fantastic standard. We’ve chosen a unique mix of brickwork patterns for Oakfield’s homes including this projected Flemish bond pattern that creates interesting shadows when the light hits it. Having homes with unique brickwork like this will also create mini landmarks within the development and help the community find their way around while it’s new and unfamiliar. 

While bricks were going up outside, the wooden joists were being laid inside between each storey for floorboards to sit on top of. 

In May, the first homes reached the roof stage and wooden fan trusses were installed. Here’s sub-contractor Bracknell Roofing laying felt and wooden batons over these wooden frames, to add some extra insulation and create a stable surface for tiles to go on top.

Tiles are now in the process of being laid and the first of Oakfield’s solar panels are being installed. Along with air source heat pumps, these panels will provide sustainable forms of heat and power, contributing to all homes at Oakfield being EPC-A, the highest energy efficiency rating.

Work has now begun on the inside of the homes. Stay tuned for more news on this soon.

Our hub building has reached its peak and has a name

Since February, Oakfield’s hub building has been growing from ground level up to the 4th floor. The award-winning specialist Stephenson Group constructed a steel frame for each storey that has been reinforced with concrete. The walls of the building are then built onto this sturdy frame. 

In June the site ‘topped out’ when the hub building reached its highest point. We were joined by MP Robert Buckland and members of the local community to celebrate this milestone (find out more about that event here). 

The hub building also has a shiny new name! We contacted the local community to ask them to vote on what the building should be called. 

They decided upon ‘Forest View’ in honour of the building’s view of the local community forest that sits to the north of the development and the green spaces we’ve included at Oakfield. We think it’s a great name!

Developing careers and recruiting local

Mi-space has been working with the local community to sub-contract to local businesses, including Conlon who are overseeing groundworks, and Gibbs Surfacing Ltd who are tarmacking the roads. More 63% of the workforce on site live locally. 

The Mi-space team has also been visiting schools and colleges to talk about careers in the construction industry. Following these, Mi-space are facilitating T-Level qualification placements alongside their apprenticeships. More on these qualifications and how Oakfield is helping develop careers can be found here

Here’s a video of all this recent work in action, created for us by local business Firebird Films Ltd. See if you can spot the solar panels and Forest View.