Prince Charles Unveils the ‘Natural House’, an Eco-Prototype for UK Homes

Posted By Bridgette Meinhold On June 29, 2011 @ 1:31 pm In Architecture,News,Sustainable Building | 6 Comments

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Since the Prince ^[6] isn't likely to become King, he's been hard at work through his Foundation for the Built Environment ^[7] to further sustainable development and green building. His latest project has been to develop an eco-blueprint for UK homes - "a prototype for viable, sustainable, volume housing, which delivers low carbon homes that provide comfortable, attractive, healthy and adaptable environments for their occupants." In May 2011 a model of the home debuted at the Ideal Home Show ^[8], and just yesterday another version, the Natural House ^[9], was unveiled at the BRE Innovation Park ^[10] in Watford. The Natural House was developed with the help of Natural Building Technologies ^[11] and Kingerlee Homes ^[12], and is a classic Georgian-style home featuring clay blocks, sustainably sourced (FSC) timber, sheep wool insulation and a tight envelope of wood fiber.

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The Natural House is a two-story villa with a traditional terraced-house form designed and built to show the most effective route to a low energy, low carbon building is through an effective building envelope. The home was constructed using NBT ThermoPlan® ^[13] (an extruded clay block building system that is highly insulative because of the air pockets), NBT Pavatex wood fiber and Thermafleece sheep’s wool insulation ^[14]. Passive stack insulation helps move fresh, cool air into the home in the warmer months, and high ceilings and triple-paned windows infuse the home in daylight ^[15]. The roof is covered in durable clay tiles, and the floors and windows are made from FSC certified timber.

So far the home has been built twice – once for the Ideal Home Show in May, where the Prince debuted his prototype and now at the BRE Innovation Park, where the Natural Home ^[16] will undergo a program of testing and assessment. The prototype can be modified for a range of home types and family needs, including reconfiguration as a family homes, maisonettes or smaller flats. Natural, non-toxic materials and non-mechanical ventilation is utilized throughout to provide a healthy indoor environment. Durability and longevity were also high priorities, and the home is expected to last over 200 years.

+ The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment ^[7]

+ BRE ^[17]

+ Natural Building Technologies ^[11]

+ Kingerlee Homes ^[12]

Images ©Prince’s Foundation

Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com

URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/prince-charles-unveils-the-natural-house-an-eco-prototype-for-uk-homes/

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[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/prince-charles-unveils-the-natural-house-an-eco-prototype-for-uk-homes/

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[5]  : http://inhabitat.com/prince-charles-unveils-the-natural-house-an-eco-prototype-for-uk-homes/natural-house-the-princes-foundation-for-the-built-environment-3/?extend=1

[6] Prince: http://inhabitat.com/prince-charles-to-become-slumlord-millionaire-of-eco-community-in-india/

[7] Foundation for the Built Environment: http://www.princes-foundation.org/

[8] Ideal Home Show: http://www.idealhomeshow.co.uk/

[9] Natural House: http://www.bre.co.uk/page.jsp?id=2075

[10] BRE Innovation Park: http://www.bre.co.uk/

[11] Natural Building Technologies: http://www.natural-building.co.uk/

[12] Kingerlee Homes: http://www.kingerleehomes.co.uk/

[13] NBT ThermoPlan®: http://www.natural-building.co.uk/thermoplan_ziegel_clay_blocks.htm

[14] sheep’s wool insulation: http://inhabitat.com/sheep-wool-building-insulation/

[15] daylight: http://inhabitat.com/tag/daylighting

[16] Natural Home: http://www.princes-foundation.org/content/natural-house-build

[17] + BRE: http://www.bre.co.uk/newsdetails.jsp?id=749

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