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 needs the client to be committed to such a sustainable journey and the Architect to have the ability and knowledge to design and incorporate the relevant techniques to meet the standard.
In this case the project focused in incorporating a range of renewable technologies and in developing a design that retained excavated spoil on site to improve the biodiversity on the site. The semi submerged design minimises the impact on the immediate surroundings and allows a very high level of energy efficiency to be achieved.
The scheme has achieved Planning Approval under the ‘Paragraph 55’ rules of the National Planning Policy Framework 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’.
See here for further information on Paragraph 55 criteria:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/6077/2116950.pdf