This unique home in the English countryside of Staplehurst, Kent has taken a page from architecture history and mixed it with state-of-the-art design to create a one-of-a-kind house. Designed by
Architect Richard Hawke, the home's arched roof is a timbrel vault -- an arch that follows a parabola rather than circle. The result is that the roof requires no added support and reduces material use. Contrasting with the 14th century roof technology is a host of high-tech materials and equipment that helped the Crossway House become the first certified
Passive House in England.
The home’s 20-meter roof span was built using timbrel vault construction, a classical building technique that has been largely forgotten since the onset of modern high-strength materials. The roof features a layer of 26,000 locally handmade clay tiles mortared together to make a supporting web. A green roof was applied on top to help regulate the home’s interior temperature, and the home’s rounded shape reduces exterior surface area which in turn saves energy.
The house received an A-A rating on its Energy Performance Certificate (EPCs) and it is also on its way to becoming the first certified Passive House in England. New technologies compliment the old to provide the 3000 square-foot home with an extremely energy-efficient shell. Triple-pane windows to the south help heat the internal thermal mass and a first-of-its-kind vacuum exterior door offers the equivalent of 20 inches of foam insulation.
Just seen this house on television. its awesome…
This home was featured on the UK TV show “Grand Designs” on February 18, 2009. Episode 4 of series 9.
Buffalohead – This house was featured on a TV show here in the UK called “Grand Designs” and you can find more detail here on Channel 4′s website: http://www.channel4.com/4homes/on-tv/grand-designs/episode-guides/weald-of-kent-eco-arch-the-story-09-02-18_p_1.html
I doubt you will be able to stream the episode from outside the UK (assuming you are), but you might be able to find it online.
Where is more information on the roof structure, the heating degree days of this location and the mechanical systems? Looks pretty but the roof thickness seems thin for insulation values. This looks like hollow tiles laid on a parabolic mold. Surely not.