Behind a traditional Victorian terrace in Walthamstow, east London, is a gated mews that’s so new that sat-nav does not yet know it exists. It is here that Ben Spencer, 32 and Josh Gordon, 36, claim to have built the UK’s (and based on their research, quite possibly the world’s) most “planet-positive” development.
The scheme of ten homes isn’t just carbon neutral, but carbon negative. “A lot of sustainable developments rely on offsetting, but that takes decades to plant trees and sequester carbon. We need to create carbon-negative buildings now,” says Spencer, who with Gordon is a co-founder of the developer GS8. The homes can even be taken apart, like a big Meccano set: “The buildings’ end of life is as important as their lifetime.”
The properties aren’t merely low-energy, but are energy positive. They generate more than they use, with rooftop photovoltaic panels to power air-source heat pumps for heating and hot water, and they store excess energy in the home’s battery. For owners, that means no energy bills — which couldn’t come at a better time, given that the average dual fuel bill from October is set to be at least £2,900 a year. Left: the three wood-clad buildings look smart and contemporary. Right: The communal garden where residents can cook together in the outdoor kitchen, forage and grow veg, and share tools While the price — from £850,000 to £1.5 million for properties with two, three or four bedrooms — isn’t affordable for everyone, Spencer believes that soon “we could absolutely deliver a planet-positive project like this affordably. You can achieve incredible performance and efficiency with natural materials. It’s all about simplicity and it’s scalable.” He adds that super-sustainable development is no more expensive than traditional building, either — and by virtue of recycling so much, they have offset the rising cost of new materials. “Not a single skip has been on site, and nothing is thrown away,” Spencer says. All the materials from the old mechanics and bike repair workshops that used to stand on this backstreet have been re-used in the build, mainly in the foundations. “With any new materials we needed, we knew the exact length and size, so there was no wastage,” he adds. Advertisement When GS8 — described by Gordon as “the new kids on the block in an archaic industry” — began this scheme seven years ago, it was intended as “energy-positive housing, no energy bills”. But that soon morphed into delivering a zero-waste scheme too. As he walks through the site, he points out the bolts (made from scrap metal from their other sites) in the walls, reiterating that these homes are also fully deconstructable, with every floor, beam and wall designed to be unscrewed and removed when no longer fit for purpose. From the outside, the three wood-clad buildings look smart and contemporary, softened by green roofs, living walls and low-maintenance communal and private gardens designed by London Glades. Floors are limestone-based powder, the ceiling is composed of compressed wood fibres, and the walls are clad in birch plywood or clay soil Aesthetically, the look is raw, unfinished. The floor surface is bare, limestone-based powder, the ceiling is composed of compressed wood fibres, and there are no painted walls anywhere. Although non-toxic paints exist these days, Spencer explains that homeowners’ instincts are to immediately repaint when they move in, which goes against the scheme’s ethos. Instead, the walls are clad in birch plywood: think country cabin with an urban edge. There are definite wow features. The kitchen worktops, which look like brown marble, are made from wood shavings moulded by the Birmingham-based company Foresso. The living room walls (which have a cool, bare brick effect) are formed from excavated soil, held together with clay and water. In the bathrooms, the lime plaster walls have a Moroccan/Mediterranean vibe and the shower tiles, which also could pass as marble, began life as yoghurt pots, the invention of Smile Plastics in Swansea. Look very closely and you’ll see some sell-by dates and hints of flavours. Homes are “fully deconstructable”, with every floor, beam and wall designed to be unscrewed and removed when no longer fit for purpose Even the soft furnishings in the show flat — overseen by Rockett St George, and available as a furniture package — are fully green. Coolest of all is a wavy lampshade by Biohm (biohm.co.uk) that looks like fabric but is made from soil. Advertisement And there’s the crux: this isn’t just about buying a home — it’s buying into a lifestyle, a philosophy. These homes are built on scientific calculations; GS8 will monitor their output throughout their lifespan to ensure that they are as sustainable as possible, “so we can’t overlook any element,” Spencer says. He knows they can’t be entirely prescriptive about their buyers’ lifestyles, but they are doing their best to create a like-minded community of members fully paid up for planet-positive living. Each property comes with two storage spaces for bikes: car owners need not apply. The kitchen worktops are made from wood shavings moulded by the Birmingham-based company Foresso Communal living is encouraged too. Besides the community garden, where residents can cook together in the outdoor kitchen, forage and grow veg, there’s a “re-use store” — a genius touch, so that rather than everyone owning a lawnmower, residents can, in theory, borrow each other’s stuff. Each of these pioneering properties also comes with a user’s guide, and Spencer and Gordon are available on WhatsApp to residents. But what if the owners wanted to — whisper it — paint their walls? Are they allowed? Spencer pauses. “If you want to make changes, then work with us,” he says.
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