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Renewable House


The house is based around using renewable materials to deliver a low cost, affordable house that meets Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes through materials alone, with a build cost of £75,000, excluding groundworks. Whilst offering significantly minimised embodied CO2, the design also enables the easy enhancement to meet Levels 5 and 6.

The Renewable House has been delivered by the National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC)with funding from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The house was Project Managed by contractor The Linford Group who managed the design development and construction. They worked with design partners Empyer Homes and Archial Architects.

The key building material, Tradical® Hemcrete®, developed by Lhoist Group, was provided by UK distributor and product manufacturer Lime Technology Ltd. and the development was overseen by client's agent Benchmark Property.
Image of the Renewable House at BRE Innovation Park

A Design For Immediate Delivery

Although built as a one off demonstration house, the Renewable House has shown its viability for production of affordable homes at high volume. Combining fast construction time and highly sustainable credentials, supported with a design that allows easy elaboration, the Renewable House is the ideal solution for Housing Associations and Local Authorities looking for a solution that ticks the affordable, buildable and quality boxes.

Built at the BRE Innovation Park and officially opened at Insite 2009, the Renewable House has been designed to meet Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, with a build cost of £75,000, excluding groundworks and utilities. Built using renewable materials, the design of the house enables it to be enhanced to meet code levels 5 and 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

The Renewable House concept can be extended to three storey town houses, semi-detached and terraced houses. The design is adaptable enough to be contextualised, with options like bays and balconies and a variety of facing materials available.

The changing age profile of the population means homes have to be built to last and flexible to accommodate evolving needs. The Renewable House is a Lifetime Home. The downstairs washroom can be modified to include a shower at a later date if required and a lift can also be fitted from the dining room.
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