Bespoke eco house in the green belt
Lathams won approval from Erewash Borough Council for a new dwelling in the green belt under Paragraph 80of the National Planning Policy Framework. Sensitively located in the garden of an existing house, a former quarry, the property sits on the edge of Little Eaton, Derbyshire.
The design concept for the modern energy-positive house, is based on 'burying' the lower ground floor into a bank, and facing this with a dry stone wall, forming a distinctive stone podium and rooting the building to the site. The podium is surmounted with a sycamore clad service ‘shed’ housing kitchen, cloaks and storage; and an open-plan living area within an all-glass ‘greenhouse’ that replicates the greenhouse of the former kitchen garden.
The monopitch roof forms a strong feature of the design, oversailing the building and containing a mix of rooflights, solar thermal panels for heating hot water, and photovoltaic cells for solar power to drive the heating system and water supply as well as cooking.
"In addition to creating a distinctive living space, this project has provided a unique opportunity to test cutting-edge research in an innovative manner, working in conjunction with the City university. The development has become a valuable test bed to investigate these advances."
Client