10
Most memorable eco TV houses
Inspiring projects that show how, over the years, Grand Designers have pushed sustainable construction to its limits
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Superlatives abound when it comes to describing each and every one of the 100-plus Grand Designs projects that have appeared on our screens over the years. They are all examples of obstacles faced and solutions found; of ingenuity, grit and determination; of homemaking dreams realised. This selection of some of the most outstanding eco-friendly buildings demonstrates what can happen when there’s a passion to create something exceptional.
SUSTAINABILITY PIONEERS To gain planning permission for their four-bedroom new-build, Helen Seymour-Smith of Seymour-Smith Architects (seymoursmith.co.uk) and her husband Chris, an architectural designer, built their house beneath a period hillside barn, making it all but invisible to passers-by. The property is in the Cotswolds countryside and, at the time, the regulatory stipulations for rural areas
made allowances for such ‘groundbreaking designs’. But even more exceptional was its certification as a Passivhaus – the first of its kind in England. Wrapped in foam insulation, the building has walls and a roof made of eco-friendly concrete panels which soak up and store heat, and its windows are triple-glazed with insulated frames. ‘Part of our reason for doing this was to show people it can be done,’ said Chris. MAGAZINE.COM / SEPTEMBER 2021 83
