LJMU Test Houses

A living laboratory for the construction industry

The full-scale test houses on our Byrom Street campus have been constructed as flexible R&D environments. 

The multi-use dwellings are avalible for teaching and collaborative research and development. Providing an environment for industry and academia to demonstrate how the latest innovative technologies perform under realistic test-bed conditions.

Our test and demonstration houses

Exemplar test houses

Opened in partnership with the Building Research Establishment (BRE), the full-scale test houses have been constructed as flexible R&D environments. Designed and built, reflective of today’s UK housing stock. They are constructed based on building standards from the 1920s, 1970s, and 2010 and have been retrofitted with the latest low carbon solutions to enter the market.

Modular demonstration houses

The Ideal Modular home and Urban Splash Modular house.

Wienerberger collaboration – Renatus project and the construction of two new demonstration dwellings

Demonstrating Wienerberger’s latest property retrofit solutions which allow cost-effective improvements in energy performance and living standards.

Smart Flower solar demonstrator

Smartflower, which was installed by Mole Group, uses an automated, intelligent design to produce clean, sustainable energy.

To mirror the biomechanics of sunflowers, its' petals open in the morning and track the sun throughout the day to maximise absorption of light. It’s unique design and functionality feature self-cleaning capability and a self-closing function in high winds.

Working with us

The LJMU Test Houses provide the perfect test bed for the development of innovative new products and processes in a real world environment. We can work with you on:

  • Product testing, data analysis and evaluation
  • Building performance monitoring including structure, materials and fabrics
  • Energy performance
  • Environmental monitoring
  • Digital scanning and modelling

To find out more about some of our research expertise visit the Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies Research Institute (BEST).

Through our Construction Skills and Knowledge Hub we can also discuss any training or skills development needs you may have. Please get in touch to find out more.

Contact us

If you would like to find out more about our work or enquire about one of our Test Houses, please email cebeprofskills@ljmu.ac.uk.