1. What does TALO do?
TALO is a UK housebuilding technology company, which has a clear mission – to eradicatefuel poverty and remove energy bills by building better homes for everyone.
Central to this is TALO’s advanced timber superstructure system – developed and proven inFinland for over 45 years. This is combined with a shallow foundation solution, externalfinishes and a solar-powered, whole-house energy package, engineered specifically for theTALO superstructure.
The result is EPC A-rated homes that exceed Passivhaus energy standards and the FutureHomes Standard as standard, in less time, and with cost parity with traditional construction.
2. How do you define TALO’s approach to housebuilding?
TALO is focused on achieving better outcomes with its wider vision to eliminate fuel poverty.
One of the key lessons from housebuilding in the Nordic countries is the importance oftreating the home as a complete system rather than a collection of individual components. Energy performance does not come from insulation or the installation of renewables alone. It depends on the integration and quality of the building fabric, ventilation if there is a high level of air tightness, energy generation, and build quality.
It then becomes possible to achieve exceptional levels of energy performance that aredifficult to reach through fragmented design decisions – and most importantly, without a costpremium. This is the basis for TALO’s housebuilding solutions which radically reduce orremove energy bills.
3. What elements of building a house are part of TALO’s package?
- Building performance - Post-planning, each home is modelled to produce a data-driven energy strategy and specification for the solar battery package and electricunderfloor heating. TALO also provides statutory compliance – EPC certification, PartL and Part O
- Foundations - The contractor prepares the ground ready for TALO to provide the standardised shallow foundations that are engineered specifically for the TALO superstructures.
- Offsite superstructures - The TALO superstructure arrives on site ready for rapid site assembly to wind and watertight and including triple glazing, insulation, plasterboarding and timber cladding if specified. Roof battens and internal partitionsare then installed.
- Energy package - TALO then installs the mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system, solar battery package and electric underfloor heating.
4. How does TALO’s offsite timber building system differ from a traditional timber frame?
TALO manufactures high-performance timber superstructures using high-grade, slow-grown Nordic timber, a completely dry timber process from forest to site, and robust offsite construction principles.
This is a panelised building system for low-rise housing which arrives on site for rapid assembly, complete with high levels of insulation, plasterboarding, external finishes andtriple glazing pre-installed in the factory.
5. What size of projects are TALO’s solutions best suited to?
TALO’s housebuilding solutions are best suited to low-rise housing projects from 10 to 100 units for any tenure.
Whilst there are no restrictions on design with the TALO system, by standardising house types, developers and housing providers can fully optimise the benefits of offsite manufacturing and maximise time and cost efficiency.
6. How does the cost of building with TALO compare with traditional housebuilding?
TALO’s fully integrated housing solutions which encompass the foundations, super structureand energy package are specifically designed to deliver ultra-low energy performance at cost parity with traditional housebuilding.
By reducing the build programme by up to 50 per cent, the developer’s finance costs arealso reduced and earlier completion and occupation generates a faster return on investment.
This allows previously non-viable brownfield sites to be unlocked for development.
7. How long does it take to build a TALO house?
With the TALO approach we typically reduce the programme time by around 50 per cent forearlier completion and occupation. A 3-bedroom, semi-detached home is watertight in just 1.5 days.
The TALO timber superstructures for each home are installed, wind and watertight ready forthe contractor to start drylining and internal fitout.
At Croft Mews in Edenbridge, we installed the structures for eight mews-style homes in 15days which reduced the overall build programme by around six months.
8. How does TALO achieve ultra-low energy homes, and how much can residentssave on energy bills?
TALO’s highly insulated superstructures and precision manufacturing and offsite assembly achieve a higher standard of air tightness. This reduces heat loss and energy consumption, exceeding Passivhaus energy standards on every project.
By integrating this low carbon construction solution with a solar battery package, electric underfloor heating, and mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system, energy bills areradically reduced or removed.
By integrating this low carbon construction solution with a solar battery package, electric underfloor heating, and mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system, energy bills areradically reduced or removed.
As part of TALO’s package of solutions, we also carry out energy modelling at pre-construction stage to provide project-specific annual energy costs. Monitored energyconsumption delivers evidence of savings post-occupation.
9. What are the benefits of a dry timber approach?
One of the reasons TALO’s advanced timber superstructure system delivers such high-quality housing, is the complete control of the timber – from the forest and sawmill in Finland,to offsite manufacturing and to site. This is an entirely dry process at each stage which is fundamental to delivering ultra-low or zero energy housing.
If high quality, slow grown Nordic timber is protected from the weather at every stage, itnever gets wet and therefore never has to dry out over time. Wet timber means movement –twisting and cracking – which then leads to snagging and heat loss once a house has been built.
When dry timber is combined with precision-engineered offsite manufacturing and intelligent design, air permeability is radically reduced for a higher degree of thermal efficiency – and atno cost premium.
This fabric first approach starts in the forest and follows through the product lifecycle and including how the structure is installed on site. The impact of this approach on the quality ofnew low-rise housing cannot be underestimated.
10. How do TALO homes compare with Passivhaus energy requirements and theFuture Homes Standard?
TALO’s housing solutions are designed to deliver ultra-low energy performance beyond Building Regulations requirements and exceeding both Passivhaus energy benchmarks andthe Future Homes Standard by a significant margin.
This is achieved by prioritising high-quality dry timber at each stage – from forest to site –higher levels insulation than Building Regulations require, exceptional airtightness, triple glazing, and radically reduced heat loss, supported by an integrated energy strategy.
An EPC A-rated project in Bromley achieved 0.46 m 3 /hr/m 2 in the first air pressure test – wellbelow Building Regulations maximum of 8m 3 /hr/m 2 and Passivhaus requirements of 0.6m 3 /hr/m 2 .
11. Is TALO suitable for affordable and social housing developments?
TALO’s package of housebuilding solutions has been developed for low-rise affordable housing and social rent, as well as homes for market sale, build-to-rent and shared ownership.
For housing associations and local authorities, the approach addresses two connected priorities – accelerating the delivery of better-quality homes for everyone, which are more affordable to live in.
TALO works with housing providers, residential developers and housebuilders and their architectural teams to align the design, specification and delivery programme with specific project requirements.
12. Can TALO’s offsite system accommodate bespoke architectural designs anddifferent external finishes?
TALO’s panelised system can accommodate a wide range of low-rise housing designs for any tenure and including terraced, semi-detached and detached family homes.
Architects can bring their designs to TALO ideally pre-planning for development into manufacturing-ready building models. Early collaboration and a degree of standardisation of house types will optimise the benefits of offsite manufacturing whilst maintaining architectural intent.
At Moorings in Hertfordshire, the homes were designed to respond to local architecture, with red and buff-coloured brickwork, dark-stained timber cladding, metal roofing, large windows and projecting bays.
13. How does TALO work with architects, developers and principal contractors?
TALO’s pre-construction team co-ordinates with the client’s architects and principal contractor to optimise offsite construction and reduce the build programme.
Each home is handed over as a watertight structure by TALO to the contractor, ready for drylining and earlier fit out of bathrooms, kitchens, flooring and decorating.
14. What accreditations and structural warranties are available for homes built byTALO? Are homes mortgageable?
TALO’s timber superstructure and lightweight foundation solutions both have ICW Endorsed accreditation. ICW is one of the country’s largest structural insurance warranty specialists,which serves all major mortgage lenders.
These certifications follow robust technical assessments of TALO’s superstructure and foundation systems and its manufacturing processes in line with ICW’s stringent requirements.
TALO also holds Verified by Cast accreditation, which assesses its business performance and capabilities.
As TALO transitions to UK manufacturing, it is in the final stages of securing NHBC accreditation.
15. How does TALO reduce the environmental impact of housebuilding?
TALO reduces the impact of housebuilding on the environment, including both embodied and operational carbon, in a number of ways.
- Every TALO home captures around 15 tons of carbon in its timber structure.
- The forests we use in Finland grow by an area equivalent to 28 football fields –every month.
- All the timber used by TALO is high-grade, slow-grown Nordic spruce sourced from PEFC-certified forests in Finland. Two trees are planted for every tree felled.
- Every TALO home is designed to reduce heating demand and renewable solar energy removes the reliance on fossil fuels for lower carbon emissions.
- By manufacturing and pre-assembling the timber superstructure offsite in a controlled factory environment, there is less material waste and there are fewer vehicle movements to site.
- The TALO shallow foundation system reduces waste to landfill and the volume of concrete required for each home, lowering embodied carbon.
More details here.
16. Is TALO’s housebuilding technology proven?
The technology behind TALO has been used in Finland and Norway for more than 40 years and to build thousands of homes.
This proven track record of building new homes in such climate extremes gives clients complete reassurance of the performance of this system backed up by UK manufacturing.
17. Why are more homes built offsite in Finland and Norway?
The primary driver for offsite manufacturing in the Nordics is climate. With winter temperatures that can fall below -50°C rising to 30+°C in the summer, homes must achieve extremely high thermal performance to ensure year-round comfort and energy efficiency.
As a result, around 70 per cent of new homes are built offsite in Finland, prioritising fabric performance and airtightness with timber housebuilding technology.