The prince`s house - The Prince`s Foundation

The prince’s House
INTRODUCTION
The Prince’s House is a project
developed by The Prince’s Foundation
for the Built Environment to
demonstrate that effective low-energy,
low-carbon homes need a robust
thermal and airtight envelope.
Equally, the house is designed for
longevity and with traditional appeal.
13
22
Below & right, the
249
1
425
aerated clay block
wall. Lime render
externally and
Building of The Prince’s House began in 2009 and completed in
March 2011. Built on the Innovation Park of the Building Research
Establishment at Watford, the project partners include BRE;
Natural Building Technologies, as consultants and materials
supplier; and Kingerlee Homes.
The house evolved from tradition, drawing upon the best
lessons of earlier ages of ‘energy efficiency’, with a simple
dual pitched roof, generous proportions and windows that
afford ample natural light and ease of ventilation in summer.
Furthermore, the house is conceived as an emphatically urban
design, a component of strong townscape. The Prince’s House
emphasises attractive urban living for a low-carbon future.
The principal wall construction system, NBT (Natural Building
Technologies) ThermoPlan®, has been developed and employed
in Germany for many years.The Thermoplan block is one of
several clay block systems that perform similarly. The extruded
clay block system traps air in pockets to provide high levels
of insulation within a single skin structure that can be selfsupporting up to five storeys. Externally clad in a Baumit render
and internally with lime plaster, the composition achieves a
U-value of 0.2.
The clay block construction is supported by other natural
materials including NBT Pavatex woodfibre board, Thermafleece
insulation, and Woods of Wales floors. The NBT Pavaroof system
achieves PassivHaus standards of thermal insulation - U-value
0.11 - including resistance to summertime overheating, a key
challenge to high performance buildings. Internal finishes
include wool carperts and organic paints.
The Prince’s House at the Building Research Establishment’s
Innovation Park, Watford
plaster internally
Why Natural?
Natural materials of low-impact provenance have been
used throughout. The materials employed in the building’s
structure — aerated clay block, lime-based plasters and
renders — reduce the risk of off-gassing of VOCs. By avoiding
plastic membranes in favour of vapour-open insulating systems,
the house avoids the risk of damp and mould build-up within
the building fabric that are key factors in the development of
asthma and respiratory problems. Air quality is maintained by
a passive ventilation system.
The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment
The Prince’s House
building specification
Project Team & Particulars
• Architect: The Prince’s Foundation for the Built
Environment
• Builder: Kingerlee Homes
• Built to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4
• Three units, Gross Internal Area:
923 sf (85.8 sm) 3-bedroom house
791 sf (73.5 sm) 2-bedroom maisonette
395 sf (36.7 sm) studio
3
4
5
1
Masionette
Studio
Building Elements
• NBT Technologies ThermoPlan 425mm clay block
wall (U-value 0.2)
• Roger Bullivant foundation with Sheepswool
insulation
• NBT Pavaroof system (U-value 0.11)
• Aereco passive ventilation system
• Katzbeck triple glazed, FSC wooden doors and
windows (U-Value 0.55)
• FSC timber roof and floor construction
• Plain English kitchens with recycled slate
worktops
• Clearview wood burning stoves
• Thermocell wall board
• Farrow & Ball and Little Green Low VOC paints
• Porcelanosa tiles
• Twyford plumbing fixtures
• Hansgrohe taps
• Sheepswool insulation
• Woods of Wales FSC wood flooring
• Ulster wool carpeting
3
4
6
5
5
2
House
4
Plain English kitchen, Woods of Wales floors, Clearview
stove, Stephenson’s of Norwich coving
Above, how the building is split up into three different units. The
building type allows conversion to several different unit types.
4
3
1 Kitchen
4 Balcony
2 Lounge
5 Bedroom
3 Bath
6 Office
3
4
3
1
First Floor Plan
Fired Earth & Porcelanosa tiles, Twyford washbasin
1
5
Roof Void
(unfinished)
5
2
Ground Floor Plan
2
1 Kitchen
4 Balcony
5 Bedroom
2 Lounge
5 Bedroom
6 Office
3 Bath
6 Office
1 Kitchen
4 Balcony
2 Lounge
3 Bath
Second Floor Plan
Little Green internal paints, Ulster wool carpets
The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment
The Prince’s
Natural House
The
Key principles & Elements
Natural Materials because they
have a low carbon footprint, are
durable and simple to repair, and are
long lasting.
Useable space in attic
for future conversions
Highly breathable roof
structure provides
U-values of 0.11
using NBT Pavatex
wood fibre insulation
and Thermafleece
sheepswool insulation
Many green buildings today rely on carbon heavy
materials and technologies to achieve high levels of
efficiency and as a consequence look very ‘futuristic’.
These materials and technologies will need to be
replaced within a short timespan. The Prince’s House
uses natural materials such as lime render, wooden
windows and slate tiles; all of which have a low carbon
footprint, are simple to repair and long lasting.
Natural Ventilation because
fresh air into the house in all
seasons is vital to the health of the
inhabitant.
of these principles are based on human proportions,
and regardless of style, a building must contain these
principles to be loved. Beauty is an important part of
sustainability. Demolishing a building wastes all the
energy used to create the materials and future energy
savings.
Humidity
Controlled passive
stack ventilation for
each room naturally
routed up the
chimney stack
Robust wall materialNBT ‘Thermoplan’
block and Baumit lime
render with good
thermal mass provides
U-value of 0.2
Carefully designed
junction details
which minimise
thermal bridging
Circulating fresh air within the house is important for
the well-being of the residents. In summer and winter,
The Prince’s House’s ventilation system brings in fresh air
into the house, and chimneys naturally draw it up and
out through convection so that the interior of the house
never becomes stale. In addition to the ventilation
system, the casement windows fully open to let the
breeze in on warm days.
Beauty and Craft because an
unloved building is more likely to be
demolished within a short timespan.
Practicing building craft connects
people to their traditions and
cultures.
There are certain principles that are universal in
architecture. A layperson will know right away if a
building feels right, or if a house feels like a home. Many
The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment
A daptable and Replicable
homes that are efficient now and in
the future.
The Prince’s House is designed to be built in detached,
semi-detached and terraced forms, and therefore
different types can be grouped in ways that create
attractive and distinctive streets. This concept learns from
several hundred years of urban house transformation
and ownership. Flexibility and adaptability are key for
residential buildings to hold value over the long term.
Safe Streets and Public Spaces
promote pedestrian safety and
community values.
Chimney stack
construction employs
Isokern blocks to
create flues for
Clearview wood
burning stoves
Non-toxic building
materials: masonite
i-beams, wooden floors
and single
skin masonry walls
Concrete piled
foundations: Roger
Bullivant ‘SystemFirst’
with insulation under
The Prince’s House needs to be seen as part of an urban
environment where pedestrians are given the priority
over cars. When residents take pride in their streets
and actively look after them they become safe and
comfortable areas. Doors and windows facing onto the
street create a friendlier feeling and allow for a greater
sense of security.
High ceilings and
excellent daylighting
through large windows
with Katzbeck triple
glazing, U-value 0.5
The Prince’s
Natural House
The
the house in context
House Type & The Street
•
Breaks the monotony of a pure flat fronted terrace
and gives the illusion of a more generous house
•
Seen as on a street in a walkable neighbourhood.
Never intended as an individual house, or to be part
of a car dependent housing estate
•
Is recognisable as residential and can be replicated at
a variety of densities to create great streets
Above, a street of semi-detached Prince’s Houses.
Above, a formal street of The Prince’s Houses. Below, an informal
street of The Prince’s Houses.
The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment
Traditionally, the paired house with a six metre (6m)
frontage was often employed by developers to create
higher-value properties. When pedimented, the illusion is
the individual house is twice as big – paired villa terraces
often command a premium for this reason. A shallower plot
depth with a double square proportion provides good natural
light throughout. The more generous width also allows for
the house to be split into maisonettes or even apartments
with the basement accessed from the street separately and
having the rear garden. The first floor has the front balcony
space and can then either have a gallery above or a separately
accessed floor.
Traditionally, street character is created from a human scale
of the buildings, architectural details that are appropriately
scaled for residential architecture, and as time passes,
individual owners put their unique stamp on their property.
In suburban environments, architectural expressions of
individualism tend to be exaggerated. The evolution of an
urban street enhances the character through the individual
and appropropriate introduction of elements by different
owners. For example, individual house painting, landscaping
or sensible additions add to the uniqueness of each street.
It is difficult to imagine the majority of eco-homes achieving
the same standard of long-term adapation and utility. Most
wear their ‘green-ness’ as the defining architectural aesthetic,
with various technological gadgets bolted on, which the
majority of the UK home buyer market will not embrace. Most
people want houses that are recognizable as homes. The
Prince’s Foundation caters for people who want to live on a
nice street, derived from tradition but updated with flexible
space allowed for modern conveniences.
Above, a street of The Prince’s Houses.
The Prince’s
Natural House
The
The Prince’s Foundation Transforms Lives by Making Great Places.
E design@princes-foundation.org
T +44 (0) 20 7613 8566
The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment
19–22 Charlotte Road
London EC2A 3SG, United Kingdom
E enquiry@princes-foundation.org
T +44 (0) 20 7613 8500
F +44 (0) 20 7613 8599
www.princes-foundation.org
©