RICHARD CHIVERS
Reducing the embodied carbon of this build was a priority for the homeowner, a climate scientist who briefed Adam Knibb Architects to design a sustainable three-bedroom family home on this green belt site in Surrey. The striking contemporary design has been carefully crafted to sit sympathetically in its environment, causing minimal visual impact to the landscape. The unique cross-laminated timber (CLT) butterfly roof frames the home’s outlook.
Materials were reused and sustainable alternatives were sourced wherever possible in this project. The site’s existing home was demolished and the materials reused
as hardcore to grade the land. The foundations are made from compressed aggregate instead of concrete, and the timber frame structure is finished with locally sourced knapped flint, limecrete and foam glass insulation.
Reducing the home’s carbon in use was another key goal for the project. Renewable technologies such as a ground source heat pump, solar panels and mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) have been installed in the new property. Plus, the timber frame’s grid structure consists of non-load-bearing internal walls that allow for simple reconfiguration of the layout, futureproofing the home.