New House, Upper Colwall

The Brief

Set on the backdrop of the beautiful Malvern Hills, this new dwelling, although modern and high-tech, blends into it’s surrounding by utilising natural materials such as stone walling and cedar cladding, broken up by large areas of glazing and the roof is literally ‘green’ with a sedum grass finish.

From the start of the project this building was designed to be different: the structure built using a new technology of poly-steel walling infilled with concrete to create a large, insulated thermal mass to keep the rooms cool in summer and warm in winter.

In addition to this, there are solar hot water and solar PV panels fitted to the roof to provide electricity and hot water. The heating system is powered by a ground-source heat pump which makes use of the warmth of the earth’s crust to provide the house with heating.

However, while inside this house, you would not be aware of all the technology with the stone built fire place and oak floors which give a more ‘rustic’ feel and make this eco-house into a comfortable home.