Green Man Cottage

No concrete or cement were used, including in the foundation
No new structural timber was used – everything was re-used and reclaimed from wast
No PPE insulation was used – only natural wood fibr
The building is orientated to make the most of passive solar heating and lighting on its restricted sit
All lighting installed is low-energy LE
The building was designed to achieve a very high level of air tightnes
No combustion appliances are used in the heating of the building and the heating system itself is reclaimed from a neighbouring buildin
The bespoke joinery was all built using either reclaimed standard kitchen units, doors and worktops or WISA ™ softwood ply, which is grown in Europe and bonded using adhesives without toxic ingredients such as formaldehyde
A rainwater harvesting system collects water from the roof for use in the adjacent garden.

The building is currently being assessed for its energy consumption with an aim of achieving a BREEAM Excellent rating and meeting the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge criteria.

The primary structural system uses the offcuts of timber from nearby building sites, which would otherwise have been sent to landfill, to create loadbearing walls that work on similar principles to conventional loadbearing masonry.

In addition, longer lengths of structural timber forming the spans were acquired from a demolition site in east London and from our friends at the Mid Sussex Wood Recycling Project, who provide waste timber from overorders on large building sites.

Annual CO2 data is not yet known