George Clarke opens Coronation Street eco house
Friday, 11 March 2011 1:44 PM
We were already pretty excited about the ecologically revamped Coronation Street House that was unveiled this morning at the Ideal Home Show – so imagine our delight when George Clarke, the brains behind it, gave us a guided tour!
The TV architect was brimming with enthusiasm as he explained the concept. Basically, Ken Barlow’s house is about as common as you get in Britain and is what many of us envisage when the words ‘traditional English house’ are mentioned. But the Victorian terraced property is incredibly inefficient when it comes to energy – and George Clarke wants to show that this doesn’t have to be the case.
While he acknowledged that it’s virtually impossible to make a traditional house completely carbon neutral, the Corrie example is still far more efficient than your average two-up two-down.
During our tour of the house he explained that every single item, material and fitting had been selected based on its environmental credentials. From a seat in the bedroom which had been made from used coffee grounds to the bathroom floor, which actively converts carbon dioxide into oxygen and is made from 95 per cent recycled materials, every single element of the revamped Coronation Street pad has been lovingly selected because of its eco efficiency.
The design looks absolutely fantastic – fresh, modern, light and bright – and we found ourselves completely swept up in George’s vision for the future. When we spoke to George Clarke back in January, he told us that he believes Britain’s existing housing stock needs to be revamped rather than knocking it all down and building afresh.
The Ideal Home Show’s Corrie house is undeniably innovative – but if Ken Barlow can do it, anyone can.
The Ideal Home Show runs until March 27 at Earls Court. Our exclusive discount code allows you to buy two tickets for the price of one.
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