Cole Thompson Anders, an award winning architectural practice based in Twickenham, England, played a pivotal role in the design and construction of the ECO house. Their environmental and design credentials are impressive and they have become well known for their sustainable approach to urban design. Cole Thompson Anders was a founder member and lead architect of INTEGER.
The initial brief to the architect was to create a contemporary four bedroom family home incorporating materials and processes that use low amounts of energy, either in their manufacture, use or function. This project has successfully demonstrated that using environmentally low impact and sustainable technologies is not just good for the planet, but when combined with the latest in high-tech gadgetry it can generate a cutting-edge and energy efficient building with an emphasis on comfort and live-ability. As well as being a showcase for potential and future technologies, it is a benchmark for how environmental building techniques can be applied to main-stream buildings of today.
The intelligent technology used within the house was conceived and managed by the UK based Building Services consultancy J & J LTD. The company was founded in 1998 by three acknowledged experts in intelligent buildings; Allan McHale, Peter Colebrook and Alan Kell. Their complementary skills and individual expertise forms the basis of J&J LTD's offering of world-leading knowledge of the intelligent buildings industry, and how information technology can change the very way in which buildings function and perform. The world is changing and our buildings with it. Issues such as sustainability, accessibility and an evolving regulatory framework are impacting the ways in which commercial, industrial and residential buildings are designed, constructed and used. J & J LTD is at the forefront of delivering solutions to these challenges.
The Sustainably sourced Timber clad facade and sunroom; designed as a passive solar heating living space
It was decided to utilise alternative processes during the construction of the house so that they could be shown to demonstrate lower energy consumption than traditional practices. For example, this involved using offsite construction, which also accelerated the installation schedule and reduced build time.
The embodied energy of materials used was a key concern, which included looking at the quantity of energy required by all the activities associated with a production process, including the relative proportions consumed in all activities upstream to the acquisition of natural resources and the share of energy used in making equipment and other supporting functions.
CO2 emissions were reduced through the innovative design of the building. There was minimal ground invasion thanks to low impact foundations which were constructed from renewable materials, thus the site can then be returned to original condition very easily at the end of its life cycle, and movement of soil and waste materials off site was reduced. To ensure Irish content local and national craftsmen were employed, and where it made economic and environmental sense Irish suppliers and materials were also used. The materials used were recycled, renewable or recyclable materials when suitable alternatives were available. Low energy running costs were achieved by reducing energy requirements for the building through intelligent building control, high levels of insulation and passive solar gain.
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