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We were selected onto the panel, through an open competition, to design houses for the Mid-Cornwall Eco-Town. The design for the Eco homes offers options for sustainable living, which are effective, flexible and easy for residents to adopt. The overall design concept is based on a sustainable approach common to both house types, which employs the PassivHausUK method. Both house types are formed by two elements - the solar lantern, containing the stairwell and beautifully tiled thermally massive spine wall; and the super-insulated body of the house, which contains the dwelling rooms. This performs an important environmental task ‘harvesting’ light and heat from the sun to supplement a central ‘Mechanical Ventilation with Heating Recovery’ (MVHR) distribution system.
These combined technologies serve as the sustainable modern equivalent of the farmhouse central fireplace. At night these elements would appear as glowing lanterns atop the houses, creating a unique and memorable identity for the Clay Country Eco Town. This methodology combines efficient passive solar gain and heat recovery with high insulation and airtight construction ensuring that the dwellings require no additional space heating.
Internal layouts for house types are simply planned, with conjoining living spaces and dedicated areas for study and sleeping. One of the key aspirations for the house types was to provide flexible open spaces that could be adjusted to suit changing lifestyles of the inhabitant in years to come. We have linked the interior and exterior spaces through the material palette of the floor finish - making the atrium space and the garden paving from slate tiles. This gives each home the feeling of being linked directly back to the Eco Town itself, creating a community spirit. Other aspects of the house types are generous storage space, including areas specifically for recycling, bicycle racks and laundry areas; private vegetable plots and internal growing spaces within the atrium spaces and electric car charging points. Project facts |
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