Come with us on a tour of one of the most outstanding current examples of green architecture in the UK, The Pavilion, Blackheath, London.

Completed in May of 2014, The Pavilion Eco House was voted the UK’s Top Eco Home in the Guardian online. Created by E2 Architecture and Interiors, this cutting edge home is found in the grounds of a grade II listed garden pavilion designed by William Chambers in 1768.

The design brief was challenging to say the least. The task was “to gain the highest possible rating on the Code for Sustainable Homes with a building that is uncompromisingly modern architecture”. Not to mention ensuring the design had minimum impact on the existing conservation area.

The house employs Passivhaus principles – a performance based set of design criteria developed in Germany. Using super insulation, stringent levels of airtightness and minimal thermal bridging, Passivehaus buildings use around 90% less energy than standard UK buildings.

The lower ground floor of The Pavilion is earth sheltered to keep the building low profile, therefore not obstructing the existing listed building and to reduce thermal bridging and benefiting from the heat of the soil. The house also features a bio-diverse green roof, rainwater harvesting and ground source heat pumps.

So did they do it? Well, The Pavilion was one of the first private dwellings to receive level 5 on the code for sustainable homes. The rooms are flooded with light, the Purbeck stone external cladding is a thing of beauty and we wholeheartedly agree with Sam Cooper, director of E2, that “sustainable can be sexy”.

Have a great week friends!

Team Tage

(All photos courtesy of E2 Architecture and Interiors)