Zero-carbon home on Grand Designs

A zero-carbon property, one of the first of its kind in the UK, will be unveiled on Grand Designs this evening.

The home in Kent, which could become a template for larger scale production, will be featured on the Channel 4 programme this evening at 9pm.

The four-bedroom property, called Crossway, and near Staplehurst, uses a technique borrowed from 600-year-old Catalonian medieval architecture, called timbrel vaulting, to provide what may prove a blueprint for energy-efficient living in the future.

Crossway was designed by architect Richard Hawkes, who will be its first occupant, with structural design by Michael Ramage, who is based at the University of Cambridge department of architecture, and Philip Cooper, who teaches in the department and is a director of ScottWilson engineers.

Michael Ramage said: “The design is cost-effective in that the home is relatively simple to build and, once you know what you’re doing, it’s quick.

“Many of the costs come from the new technology it uses for energy storage and generation. If those become more widely available, then making a similar house cheaply in much larger quantities may be possible.”

Some 27 per cent of UK carbon emissions come from households, adding considerably to global warming. Only a handful of homes are zero-carbon, however, and many designs are too expensive to merit mass production.

The UK government has a target for all new homes to be carbon neutral by 2016.



Heating comes from solar energy through the UK’s first example of a combination photovoltaic and thermal heating system, which is more efficient than other solar technology. An 11kW biomass boiler has also been installed to provide energy and electricity if the sun does not appear for days on end. The house is insulated throughout using recycled newspaper.

Richard Hawkes said: “The building demonstrates how contemporary design can celebrate local materials and integrate new technologies to produce a highly sustainable building that sits lightly on the earth.”

Where possible, the designers have used locally-sourced materials, such as ‘Kent peg’ roof tiles, which have been made in the area for centuries. The triple-glazed windows, however, were imported from Austria as they are not on the market in the UK.

No windows are placed at elevations that can be seen from a distance to preserve the rural darkness of the surrounding area.

Crossway will appear on Grand Designs on Channel 4 at 9pm tonight.