Reedcutters – Eco House

The only way of building a new home within a designated National Park and a river flood plain is to replace an existing dwelling. This project is one of only a handful of new waterfront houses created in the Norfolk Broads area.

Located on the quieter southern River Yare, this house is a dramatic contrast to its immediate environment and replaces a small and rather plain reedcutter’s cottage. The house is raised over a metre above the existing ground level in order to be above the flood plain and indeed the ‘1 in 1000 year’ flood risk.

The brief was to create a house that was very green in its outlook. The hybrid construction of a steel frame with timber infill wall panels, with wood pulp insulation, creates a well-insulated environment. The external cladding is a specially treated softwood that gives a similar longevity to hardwood and is a particularly green solution. Renewable energy is provided from an ‘energy blade’ within the river as well as PV cells on the roof.

This house is among the first in the UK to incorporate special glass that prevents bird-strikes since it incorporates an etching only visible to birds. The house is also unique in being constructed around a glass atrium with views both to the river and to the wetland carr behind.

We worked closely with the Planning department in developing this scheme and used both photoreal images and AVR (actual visual representation) to show exactly how the house would appear on the site.