The Nuts and Bolts – Designing and building
for true sustainability by Bob Tomlinson
In 1993, I was inspired by the possibility of living in a way that was both more sustainable and enjoyable. It was clear to me that places needed to be both energy efficient and a pleasure to live in.
Unless a place is designed to encourage social interaction, and caters for that deep need in us to have a positive affinity with where we live, even the most sophisticated eco-houses will eventually be unloved and abandoned.
To promote this idea I produced a proposal for a ‘living village’ which was based on clusters of houses linked with food and fuel growing areas and a central support facility for work and leisure activities.
The proposal attracted quite a number of supporters and The Living Village Trust was born. After campaigning for a few years we realised that nothing much was going to change in the house-building industry and that it was probably going to be business as usual as developers continued to build their soulless housing estates and pretty much ignored any suggestions of how to build a better place to live.
We therefore decided to ‘walk the talk’ and, with the help of a benefactor, embarked on a journey that involved both designing eco-buildings and then running the development process to ensure that they got built.
From the first project called Bells Court in 1997 we have gained a wealth of experience in design and procurement of places to live that are both energy efficient and convivial.
The key elements are:
DESIGN FOR CONVIVIALITY
After monitoring the energy use of our houses and putting this into the context of lifestyle and behaviour, we soon discovered that the real gains in energy use came from elements that are outside of the specification of the buildings. Things like growing your own food, working from home and sharing resources are much more effective in reducing carbon footprints than any of the ‘eco-add-ons’ like photovoltaics or CHP systems; especially when put into the context of carbon saved per £ spent.
Therefore it is much more important to design places that stimulate human interaction; places that have surprise and delight, places that encourage people to stop and chat with the neighbours and places that will be loved and cared for from one generation to another.
In any location, differences in climate and culture will result in differing configurations of homes that have endured for many generations. The first priority in designing a new place is to learn from these existing communities. Look at how the houses relate to each other, look at why they have been successful in surviving and look at why they are often the most desirable of places, often attracting a price premium.
This study in turn will inform the design as to the shape and form of the new building and the use of materials that have endured.
DESIGN FOR EFFICIENCY
We must design and build to the best of our abilities. We now have access to technologies, methods and materials that our ancestors didn’t have. New buildings should use these, but be mindful of how they are to be repaired, adapted and modified in the future.
Attention to detail is crucial. The greatest efficiencies in energy use are from good insulation and paying attention to airtightness rather than the ‘eco-bling’ that tends to be most prominent in magazine articles. Having designed a good, solid, energy efficient house we then look at how heat recovery systems and renewable energy can be provided.
Whilst designing a range of houses for a given project we are also very mindful of how these buildings will need to be flexible and how they will be adapted as needs and lifestyles change in the future.
DESIGN FOR BEAUTY
Unless our houses and places are ‘loved’ they will not endure. All too often I see prize-winning architecture that has been defaced or sometimes abandoned because there was no connection between the designer and those that ended up living in the buildings.
Only if the occupants, their children and their grandchildren find delight and solace in their new homes; only if they develop an affinity with the place will they come to care for it and look after their homes in perpetuity and thus ensure long term sustainability.
Without this key ingredient new buildings are doomed to demolition; no matter how many expensive energy saving devices they have built into them.
Learning how to provide these places in designing for energy efficiency and conviviality whilst conforming to building regulations, planning conditions and the funding requirements of a speculative industry, has taken a great deal of hard work and trial and error.
At Living Villages we believe that a building or place will only be sustainable in the long term if a good relationship exists between the occupier and the place and building. No matter how eco-friendly, iconic in design, or expensive and glitzy in appearance, in the end the building and surrounding area have to be appreciated by the people who use it. If people love the building they will care for it, adapt it and continue to improve or make more appropriate for their needs over many generations. Buildings that are not loved will eventually fall into disrepair and die.
The embodied energy consequences of failed buildings are large …
Copyright The Living Village Trust 2010
