Architecture- London's pioneering zero-carbon house
Posted Sunday, January 18, 2009 by SixSevenEightNine in Labels: Architecture, green
After the site is cleared for construction and foundations laid on virgin ground, heat pump pipes are inserted into boreholes 25m deep. Coolant is pumped through the pipes, drawing energy from the Earth to heat the house.
The project begins to look more like a house as the timber frame for the front is constructed.
The crucial final layer of the roof is installed: the photovoltaic power station. Installers from Solar Century prepare the specially designed rain screen that the PV modules are fixed to.
Staircase: Tree trunks supporting the staircase were hand-picked by Will Anderson from a sustainable forest floor in Sussex, managed by Timber Resources.
Bathroom: The bath was salvaged and Kirkstone slate was used for the walls and floors. Kirkstone quarrymen rebuild the fell behind them to protect the landscape in the Lake District national park. Hot water is provided by a combination of the heat pump and a solar thermal panel and water consumption for the house is low: only 60 litres a person a day compared with an average of 150 litres a person a day.
Garden: The pond in the completed house. Rainwater is collected but only for garden use.
Study: Huge windows allow maximum daylight to pour into the room at the top of the three-storey house. The parquet flooring was salvaged and laid by Will Anderson himself, which he says was a 'nightmare' job.
Living room: The living area is furnished with secondhand furniture — Will Anderson's four cats particularly appreciate the underfloor heating.
The completed house: All the hard work pays off. The sycamore, which inspired the Tree House name and the design for the gates, can be seen to the right.
Modest looking house is quite beautiful.
Will Anderson's background is in social work.Yet with a few friends and a vision he built this house years ago before the green became a movement. He is the author of the book Diary of an eco-builder.
0 comment(s) to... “Architecture- London's pioneering zero-carbon house”
0 comments:
Post a Comment