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reallife
O Architect
Richard
Hawkes'design
fortheeco-house
heisbuilding
nearStaplehurst
A $anddesign
any of us try to do our bit for
the environment,but Richarc Architect
Richard Hawkes isnotsimply
concernedaboutwhathislatest
Hawkes is going that extra mile
- and a half.
design
willlooklike.Hisambitious
house project
building comes with
The Staplehqrstarchitect is impressive
environmentally-friendly
credentials.
Richard
tellsreporter
embarking on a property which, when finished,
will blend into its surroundings,haveno need
ANGELAC0LE about thebroaderissues
thatmotivatedhim
for central heating, and will havebeenalmost
entirely built from local or recycledmaterials. In fact, Richard had no vision ofthe kind of The form just followed the function. Then it was
It will evenhavea "living roof'with native househe might designwhen he and wife Sophie just a matter of how to build it and what from."
plants sourcedfrom Mar{en Nature Reserve, bought the plot in January2007. There had He adds:"If we'd boughtland on the otherside
underneathwhich will standa unique Timbrel previously beena bungalow on the site, owned ofthe road, for instance,the shapeofthe building
vault built from tiles madefrom clay dug up less by two elderly sisters.After buying the plot, it would havebeencompletely different. Every
than four miles awav. was a slow processfor Richard to work out the location has unique qualities, which require a
The project is as environmentallyfriendly as designofthe building to come.A 4am "Eureka!" unique solution."
possible,but it's not a ramantic ideal that he moment producedthe building's unique
The desigl has eventaken into accounthow
had long dreamtof. "arch" shape.
the building would be seenby passersby, but
"This is what architecturaldesign crucially, it neededto be sustainable.This meant
should be about," said Richard. designingit so that the south side, where there
"You get a site and respondto the will be large windows, will get the maximum
needsof the site. If I want amountof sunlight on winter days,passively
this building to belong heatingup the air in the building. The arch
; on this site, it must overhangsto shadethe glazing in the summer
effectively evolve when the sun'sheat is not required.
from the needsof the
A heat recovery ventilation systemwill allow
site.It was a process
warm air to be reused.A paraffin wax thermal
that felt very
natural. tank will act as a heat battery storing solar energy
for hot water and any top-up heat needed.Solar
panelswill provide hot water, and rainwater will
be collected for use inside and outside.
The housewill alsobe insulatedusingrecycled
newspaper."We are ventilating but not throwing
that heat away,' said Richard. "By keeping that
hot air you reduceyour heatingrequirement
dramatically.We will effectively be building the
houselike a warm ski jacket."
The four bedroomhousewill havetiple glazing,
which will be filled with Argon gas,which is
more thermally resistantthan air, also to keepthe
housewarm.
Richard hasbeenworking on the designwith
sustainablebuilder, Ecolibrium Solutions,based
in Capel le Ferne,who will be building the house.
Andrew Bassant,of Ecolibrium Solutions,
suggestedusing the Timbrel vault technique,
which will be so fundamentalto the building,
using26,000handmadeclay tiles.
Although it will be only the secondtime the
processhasbeenusedin this country when it's
built this sunmer. he is confident of success.
"It is extremely strong and extremely think.
*
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