Hanson Eco-House

Concept eco-home demonstrating how traditional masonry construction and sustainable design can work together

Client

Hanson Building Products Ltd

Location

Stewartby, UK

Status

Completed

Discipline

Architecture

Sector

Residential

Size

Prototype 3 bedroom house

The Hanson EcoHouse was the first masonry house to achieve Code Level 4 under the Code for Sustainable Homes.
The Hanson EcoHouse was the first masonry house to achieve Code Level 4 under the Code for Sustainable Homes.
The Hanson EcoHouse was the first masonry house to achieve Code Level 4 under the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Solution

The company Hanson Building Products wanted to demonstrate that traditional masonry construction and environmental-friendliness could be compatible. To this end, it asked tp bennett to design the Hanson Eco-House for the company campus in Bedfordshire, to be a concept home and a creative expression of its principles.

The Eco-House took inspiration from the region’s brick industry, with which Hanson had long been involved. The convection heating system was based upon traditional brick kiln manufacturing, drawing in fresh air at ground level and expelling it via the roof. Constructed in innovative pre-fabricated brick and block cavity wall panels, with a highly-insulated floor, the house gained a high thermal mass, making it cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

Within, the configuration is ‘upside-down’, with living room and kitchen upstairs and bedrooms downstairs, enabling heat to rise upwards towards the dramatic, vaulted open-plan living area. As tp bennett’s Emiliano Acciarito says, “It showed how brickwork could be used in a creative way.”