The Natural House
The Prince of Wales’ architectural charity, the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment, is constructing a low energy home built from natural materials. It will demonstrate an alternative response to environmental efficiency in sustainable homebuilding.
The Natural House is expected to deliver significant energy savings, from its manufacture through to its daily use. It will also offer good indoor air quality, be simple and quick to construct, and appeal to the increasingly eco-aware homebuyer. Regrettably, owing to a situation beyond BRE's control, the build will not be completed in time for INSITE09 and there will be no access to this house during the show.
‘Climate change is forcing us to radically re-think our built environment,’ says Hank Dittmar, Chief Executive of The Prince’s Foundation. ‘It is vital that we find a simple, high volume, low carbon approach to house building, creating a new eco-vernacular that people will love and enjoy for hundreds, not tens, of years. We tend to assume that low carbon must mean high-tech, but that’s not the only option. We must deliver low carbon in a way that is appealing to home buyers, and we must also address issues of indoor air quality, the use of natural materials and the creation of adaptable flexible buildings.’
Key features
- The house is designed to be highly adaptable. It can be subdivided to form a family home, maisonette or smaller flat, reflecting changing demographics and needs over the long term.
- The walls are single skin, of aerated clay blocks rendered in lime and hemp with internal wood fibre board to provide high levels of insulation with minimal heat transfer.
- The roof tiles will be clay.
- Floors and windows are made from ethically and locally sourced timber, certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council.
- Materials will be sourced with a view to maximising end of life recyclability.
- The house will be quick and simple to construct and repair, minimising the need for specialist training.
High air quality
As part of the Natural House project, researchers will examine the impact of natural materials on air quality, on allergy resistance and on the general sense of wellbeing of the occupants.
A sense of place
While the prototype Natural House will embody generic building traditions, it is hoped that when built commercially it will be able to ‘echo the DNA’ of the local building context.
Partners
The house’s pilings and foundations are being supplied by Roger Bullivant plc, and the clay blocks by Natural Building Technologies. The principal developer is Kingerlee.
The main shell of the building will be in place, but owing to issues beyond our control the building will be incomplete and so not accessible during INSITE09. NBT will be giving demonstrations of the innovative Ziegel block system at the site.
