Sparrow House, Lewes

Architect: BBM Sustainable Design

Client: Private

Contract value: £280k

This project involved the construction of a modest sustainable courtyard dwelling within the garden of an existing house.  The shell was constructed using a combination of sustainable materials such as timber frame, which was then clad with insulated render system and locally grown sweet chestnut cladding, scaffold boards salvaged from the site works for flooring + worktops, English lambs wool as insulation, English softwood for the timber frame and even building papers/ vapour checks made from recycled paper and plastic. The ground floor has under-floor heating fuelled by a flat bed solar panel. The screed floor finish acts as a heat sink regulating the internal temperature. The project also includes the installation of photovoltaic and solar thermal panels.

The project won the RIBA Ibstock Downland Prize in 2004