| Types of Eco Building
Eco-buildings come in many different forms: self-sufficient or "autonomous" houses, straw bale houses, self-build, wooden timber-framed, traditional mud and stud, or cob cottages. Some are high tech, others are low tech. Some eco-homes have even gone underground to conserve heat and have turf and sedum living roofs!
Like all good architecture, modern eco-buildings work with the climate and attempt to harmonize with their environment. Most capture solar energy, passively - using large glazed areas or, actively - with photovoltaic cells (solar panels). They are super-insulated, collect rainwater and sometimes harness wind energy or have ground source heat pumps. A few houses can sell surplus energy to the national grid!
'High Tech' Eco Homes Among recent eco-housing projects in Britain, the most famous is BedZed in Beddington, London Borough of Sutton, developed by the Peabody Trust.
The Hockerton Housing Project in Nottinghamshire claimed to be the first "autonomous" houses in Britain. See our article in Ecoliving area of this site.
Wooden Eco House
Wood is a naturally a very good insulating material, it looks and feels good too! Ben Law's Prickly Nut Wood home in Sussex was one of the stars in Channel 4 's Grand Designs series. His brilliant building and design skills (as well as his scrummy looking meals served to volunteer helpers) won over the audience. The result was a beautiful wooden house set, appropriately, in a wood - which is also Ben's workplace.
Natural House
The emphasis here is on using natural materials: earth, stone, wood, slate, wool etc and creating a healthy home by using natural paints with low VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and avoiding the use of toxic indoor pollutants such as formaldehyde gas. The happy result is a house which is non-hazardous to builders and its inhabitants. Book to read: David Pearson, 'The Gaia Natural House Book'.
Traditional Mud and Stud or Cob - Materials With A Future?
Now to our very own vernacular (local) style of eco-building: Lincolnshire mud and stud cottages - especially seen in the Lincolnshire Wolds. Mud and stud is a variation of wattle and daub. A small cottage in Little Steeping, near Spilsby, has been lovingly restored by Heritage Lincolnshireand is now let as a holiday home by the Vivat Trust.
Cob houses (particularly in the West Country and South West of England), also have thick walls made of subsoil and straw. The walls are usually whitewashed and roofed in thatch. Kevin McCabe has recently built an impressive new cob house in Ottery St Mary, Devon and renovates cob houses. For more information visit www.buildsomethingbeautiful.com
Mud houses use local, renewable materials (although organic thatch is in short supply in England and frequently has to be imported) and they have the advantage of being snug in winter and cool in summer.
So Why Aren't There More Eco Buildings?
- People are perhaps conservative and risk-averse when it comes to their homes, preferring traditional bricks and mortar.
- Building Societies may be reluctant to finance unusual ("wacky"?) building schemes.
- Until recently, fuel has been relatively cheap - particularly gas. But this is set to change. With energy costs rising fast and supplies of North Sea Gas running down, photovoltaic cells will begin to look like a more attractive proposition - especially if subsidies are offered to offset the heavy capital cost.
- The situation is evolving quickly. The Hockerton Housing Project, BedZED and the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales, will inspire many new eco-builders.
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