Barratt build architect's award winning home for the future

The UK's largest house-builder, Barratt, is to build a zero carbon prototype home using an award winning design by architects Gaunt Francis. A 22,000 strong public vote selected "The Green House" from nine designs short-listed by a distinguished panel of judges led by the former president of RIBA, Michael Manser, CBE.

The Home for the Future competition challenged architects and developers to produce a mainstream house type with reduced carbon emissions as part of the 2007 Mail on Sunday British Homes Awards sponsored by NHBC.

"The Green House" will now be built on BRE's Innovation Park and used as part of the research and education programme to help the house-building industry respond to the zero carbon agenda.

Mark Clare, Barratt Developments Chief Executive said: "We are delighted to be building this home that is likely to be one the lowest emission houses ever constructed in this country. It will combine outstanding design, the highest standards of energy efficiency and the use of innovative microgeneration. Importantly the design was selected by members of the public so it brings together both low emissions and popular support."

The Gaunt Francis design includes recycled slag foundations, lime/hem render walls and pitched roofs of photovoltaic panels. The heating is controlled by a central computer system with internet-linked, energy-efficient appliances.

Andrew Sutton, an associate at Gaunt Francis, said: "It's a fantastic opportunity to tackle the current environmental issues with mass housing design alongside one of the biggest house builders in order to provide versatile, good quality spaces with pragmatic, effective sustainability built in from the foundations up".

The project will be managed by the National Centre for Excellence in Housing, a partnership between NHBC and BRE, which has been tasked by the government to co-ordinate research and information to help meet the Government's proposed 2016 target for zero carbon new homes.

Rt. Hon. Nick Raynsford, former Housing Minister and Chair of the National Centre, said: "The house-building industry has been hunting for leadership to help deliver zero carbon homes within a decade. The National Centre will provide an important interchange of knowledge and information across the whole agenda."

Imtiaz Farookhi, NHBC Chief Executive and member of the Government's 2016 Taskforce, said: "A huge amount of research and work is needed to support the industry and to ensure that consumers are not used as guinea pigs in the drive to achieve zero carbon. It is a very important step to have a leading volume house-builder constructing this design at BRE so technologies can be tried and tested to ensure they bring real benefits for consumers and the environment."

Mark Clare, Barratt Chief executive also said, "Building this home will provide an invaluable insight into how best zero carbon homes can be constructed. We are determined to take what we can learn from the process and apply the experience across our business. In today's climate of rapidly increasing housing costs, the challenge is to ensure that zero carbon is genuinely affordable not just available to those that can afford it".