Hainford Eco House

The challenge with this project was to obtain an approval for a residential dwelling on a small site outside the settlement area.

The client was keen to create a unique eco home and was prepared to push the boundaries of the project in respect of the sustainable and renewable technologies on the scheme. Achieving a project that meets this standard of design requires the client to be committed to the journey from both sustainability and planning requirement perspectives.

In this case the project focused on incorporating a range of renewable technologies and in developing a design that retained excavated spoil on site to improve the local biodiversity. This semi-submerged scheme minimises the impact on the immediate surroundings and allows a very high level of energy efficiency to be achieved. The design incorporates the use of recycled components where possible and very high levels of thermal insulation to create a low carbon footprint.

The scheme has achieved Planning Approval under the ‘Paragraph 55’ rules of the National Planning Policy Framework (now known as Paragraph 79) which offer an exemption from all planning constraints for individual houses that meet specific criteria which include the fact that they must ‘reflect the highest standards in architecture’.

A compact scheme demonstrating that small projects like this can incorporate and demonstrate outstanding eco principles.