First Zero-Carbon House in UK Unveiled

By 2016, all new houses in the UK must meet the new Code of Sustainable Homes, which some have called an impossible target. Difficult, but not impossible; here is the first one. described in the Guardian as "the most environmentally friendly home yet built and the first to meet the highest standards laid out in the government's code for sustainable homes."

The Lighthouse, designed by Sheppard Robson (warning: typical architect flashcrazy site) and built by Kingspan Offsite, "pushes the boundaries of modern affordable house design" with solar panels (2), rainwater harvesting, biomass boiler (4) and a windcatcher for ventilation (1). It built from sustainable materials and is modest in size, and rather handsome, proof that a builders are up to the challenge of a tough building code.

The Minister of Housing was at the opening: "A quarter of carbon emissions come from our homes. That's why zero-carbon homes are so important," said Yvette Cooper.

"We need a complete revolution in the way we design and build our homes. Many of the technologies exist already, as these new homes show. Now we need more work to test them and deliver economies of scale."

Perhaps we need such a revolution (and such a building code) on this side of the ocean. ::Guardian and ::Metaefficient