A Grand Design with real passion – Update on rebuilding of Kevin McCloud’s eco house

You might remember earlier in the year that I wrote about a project being undertaken at the University of Brighton to rebuild an eco house first built by Grand Designs’ Kevin McCloud live on Channel 4 in 2008. (http://blog.thefutureperfectcompany.com/2011/02/09/help-build-a-grand-design-from-as-little-as-2/)

I am pleased to report that good progress is being made. Planning permission has been granted by a very enthusiastic Brighton & Hove City Council and Mears Group are about to start laying the foundations.

This is a fantastic project on many levels. First off, as an eco project this is an examplar, a project which as Kevin McCloud says, will demonstrate “the viability of locally sourced materials in meeting and challenging a serious threat, which is that of climate change. It is not just about the process of putting it together. It’s also about the lessons learnt from the methods of construction, the materials and the lifecycle analysis of those materials”.

Within the University the techniques and methods tested and pioneered through the building of the house, some of which were not available in 2008, will feed into research and teaching and ultimately contribute to the knowledge of the entire construction industry.

But this is not an experimental building in the middle of a research park miles from anywhere. This building is being constructed in the very heart of Brighton within a University which has always championed public access and taken very seriously its connections and responsibilities to the City in which it is located. So not only will the contractors and staff and students from across the University have access to the project, local schools and other communities will also be able to get involved.

This is a project with real passion for the people involved as well as for the architecture. Mears Group, for instance, agreed to take on the foundations not only because it gives them the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable materials and low carbon building but also because it gives their apprentices, many of whom have not achieved academically, a glimpse into the life of a University with the possibility that one of them might then be inspired to study for a degree in architecture.

A great project all round. And you can contribute to this particular Grand Design from as little as £2. For more details of how you can get involved visit http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/business-and-community/the-house-that-kevin-built/funding-for-brightons-thtkb

I shall keep you posted!