Crossway: One of U.K.’s first net-zero carbon houses

Feb 28, 2009 by Candace Lombardi

In 2009, I learned of one of the U.K.’s first net-zero carbon houses as it made its television debut on a local U.K. television station. I got in touch with its architect/owner who was kind enough to share his photos and info on the project so that I could do a gallery on it for CNET. It was a find since no one had reported on it yet in the U.S. at the time.

Crossway, a four-bedroom home near Staplehurst, England, was designed by architect Richard Hawkes for him and his family in conjunction with Michael Ramage, an architect based at the University of Cambridge. It incorporates photovoltaic solar panels, thermal mass panels in the walls and internal ceilings, and a special thermal mass eco-concrete foundation to generate the home’s electricity and regulate its internal temperature.

Hawkes employed “timbrel vaulting,” a technique originally used over 600 years ago in Catalonia, Spain. Three layers of thin bricks were mortared together with Plaster of Paris. Hawkes had each layer laid in a distinct pattern from the others to avoid joints lining up and provide extra strength.

Continue to photo essay on CNET….