5 August 2022

Want To Build a Dream Home?


 

Ever wondered how you go about building your own dream home? Check out this introduction to our Ultimate Guide and the following chapters which will attempt to demystify the process and bring your dream within arms reach.

Over the next few weeks we will be releasing chapters from our 'Ultimate Guide To Building Your Dream Home' where we cover all the aspects of undertaking a new build house project from selecting the right design team through to finding a plot, gaining planning permission, understanding the costs and building a high performance home that is healthy and sustainable.

The next post will include the first chapter of the guide which explains where to begin your project and how to select an architect. If you can't wait to learn more please download the entire guide from this website or get in touch and we will happily send you a copy.

You can find the first chapter here: 'Finding The Right Designer'

If you'd like to dive in and experience all the chapters please click on the links below:

Chapter 1: 'Finding The Right Designer'

Chapter 2: 'Finding Somewhere To Build Your Dream Home'

Chapter 3: 'The Design And Build Process'

Chapter 4: 'What Will It Cost To Build Your Dream Home'

Chapter 5: 'Getting Planning Permission'

Chapter 6: 'Choosing The Right Team'

Chapter 7: 'High Performance Homes'

Chapter 8: 'Health And Wellbeing'

Chapter 9: 'How Can We Help'

25 September 2018

Planning permission for tricky sites – we can help!

Applying for planning permission can be tough to navigate. Applying for planning permission for tricky sites – for example agricultural land, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a national park or the green belt – can be even more difficult.

And with just under 1/5th of the UK designated as AONB, it's important your architect understands the implications and specific policy relating to these sites.

The team at Koru Architects has more than 30 years’ combined experience building homes and renovating properties throughout Sussex and further afield, including many projects in conservation areas. In fact, one of our key specialities is using sensitive design to win planning approval in restricted places.

We have a 95% success rate in winning planning approval, including planning permission for tricky sites.

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This extension was approved in the High Weald, an AONB in the green belt.

As specialists in eco architecture and sustainable design, we build low energy concepts into our designs as standard. All our designs take into account environmental impact and energy efficiency. This makes us popular with planners! Ultimately, it’s up to the client how 'green' they want to make their home, but we always incorporate effortless energy-efficient solutions into our designs, for example by making the most of passive solar gain to keep your home warm.

Of course, it’s not just energy-efficiency that gets you planning permission for tricky sites.

This is why it’s important to work with an architect – our experience is invaluable in understanding what planners are likely to permit, taking into account the subjective nature of planning approval and using our knowledge of local planning policy and the national policy it is based on.

For example, a contemporary design – which you may assume is an immediate no-no in a sensitive site – can be sold to planners through contextual features, such as using traditional local materials, taking inspiration from the site’s history, or using the form of the site’s natural elements to blend into the landscape.

These contextual features, coupled with a low carbon design assure planners that the new design will be a comfortable enhancement of the site.

For more information on how we use contextual design, see this blog post.

Many of our happy clients have had to overcome planning headaches, but with our expertise and lateral thinking, plus our reputation for creative use of light and space, attention to detail and the careful selection of natural materials, we have achieved our extremely high success rate for planning permission approval.

Even if you've been unlucky in past, we may just be able to swing it for you!


Give us a call or send an email to see how we can help you!

 

 

18 September 2018

Benefits of Green Buildings: part two – economic benefits

koru architects, eco architect, sustainable architect, green architect, sustainable design, eco design, brighton, green design, green buildings, economic benefits of green buildingsAs World Green Building Week 2018 approaches (24 - 30 Sep), we thought we’d share some of the most recent research on the economic benefits of green buildings. This post is part of a series which will explain why we should all be aiming to ‘green’ our buildings, and furthermore, why we should be pushing government policy in this direction too.

It’s not just the planet that will benefit from going green, there are social and economic benefits of green buildings as well as the more obvious environmental benefits. In fact, when discussing the benefits of green buildings, they are often broken down into the following three categories: environmental, economic and social. It’s for this reason that some people refer to these buildings as ‘healthy buildings’ as well as green buildings. This post will focus on the economic benefits.

According to the World Green Building Council: “[green buildings] provide some of the most effective means to achieving a range of global goals, such as addressing climate change, creating sustainable and thriving communities, and driving economic growth.

First of all, we should define what we mean by green buildings. Green buildings have been built from a sustainable design, also known as eco design. This means all facets of the design process takes into consideration the impact the building will have, both in construction and use. The World Green Building Council defines green buildings as "a building that, in its design, construction or operation, reduces or eliminates negative impacts and can create positive impacts on our climate and natural environment. Green buildings preserve precious natural resources and improve our quality of life."

Lets look at the economic benefits of green buildings.


Most people assume that going green comes with a financial burden, and for many years the ‘eco premium’ was common. However, there are clear and measurable economic benefits of green buildings for both developers and households. One of the primary economic benefits of green buildings is the lower cost of utility bills, as reducing energy means reducing energy costs.

According to the European Commission's 2015 report, global energy efficiency measures could save an estimated €280 to €410 billion in savings on energy spending.

Koru's office and director Mark's home

On an individual level, UK households spend an average of £1630 per year on energy and water. Simply installing double glazing, low-flow showers, loft insulation and cavity wall insulation would save a 4-bedroom semi-detached household around £465 per year.

And by making your property passivhaus standard, adding renewable energy sources and rainwater harvesting you could be looking at barely any utility bills at all. We've covered this in more detail in this blog post here.

Additionally, a government report from 2013 states high levels of energy efficiency adds an average of 14% to a house's value.

Taking Koru's office and director Mark's home as an example (as we have the numbers to hand), a green building has the potential to save and even generate money – due to the (soon-to-be-abolished) feed-in-tariff and renewable heat incentive schemes, the house currently brings in income.

The rainwater harvesting system achieves an annual saving of £200 per year. The solar PV, solar thermal and biomass boiler bring in an annual income of £1500, £650 and £1400 respectively.

When the electric bill (£400), wood pellets (£500) and water bill (£150) are subtracted, this leaves a current net annual income of £2500.

And if you're a business owner, this blog post details seven economic benefits of green buildings, including more surprising ones, like employee retention, staff productivity and PR. From a country-wide perspective, the office of national statistics stated green construction firms generated £12.4bn of turnover and employed 96,500 employees in 2016.

As you can see from the above evidence, the economic benefits of green buildings have the potential to be vast. Even small changes can yield big financial results. Go green – your pocket (and the planet) will thank you!


This post is part two in a series. 

  • Benefits of Green Buildings: part one – environmental
  • Benefits of Green Buildings: part two – economic
  • Benefits of Green Buildings: part three – social

12 September 2018

Benefits of Green Buildings: part one – environmental benefits

koru architects, eco architect, sustainable architect, green architect, sustainable design, eco design, brighton, green design, green buildings, healthy buildings, environmental benefits of green buildings, economic benefits of green buildings, social benefits of green buildingsAs World Green Building Week 2018 approaches (24 - 30 Sep), we thought we’d share some of the most recent research on the environmental benefits of green buildings. This post is part of a series which will explain why we should all be aiming to ‘green’ our buildings, and furthermore, why we should be pushing government policy in this direction too.

It’s not just the planet that will benefit from going green, there are social and economic benefits of green buildings as well as the more obvious environmental benefits. In fact, when discussing the benefits of green buildings, they are often broken down into the following three categories: environmental, economic and social. It’s for this reason that some people refer to these buildings as ‘healthy buildings’ as well as green buildings. This post will focus on the environmental benefits of green buildings.

According to the World Green Building Council: “[green buildings] provide some of the most effective means to achieving a range of global goals, such as addressing climate change, creating sustainable and thriving communities, and driving economic growth.

First of all, we should define what we mean by green buildings. Green buildings have been built from a sustainable design, also known as eco design. This means all facets of the design process takes into consideration the impact the building will have, both in construction and use. The World Green Building Council defines green buildings as "a building that, in its design, construction or operation, reduces or eliminates negative impacts, and can create positive impacts, on our climate and natural environment. Green buildings preserve precious natural resources and improve our quality of life."

Lets look at the environmental benefits of green buildings.


One of the most obvious impacts of making our buildings green is the environmental benefit. We've mentioned before that building and the construction industry accounts for 30% of global carbon emissions (and recent research is pushing that figure to closer to 40%) which means the building sector has the largest potential for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to other major emitting sectors (UNEP, 2009).

In fact, the emission saving potential of green buildings is thought to be as much as 84 gigatonnes of CO2 by 2050 (UNEP, 2016) which would happen through direct measures in buildings such as energy efficiency, fuel switching and the use of renewable energy.

According to Citu, the average house takes between 50 and 80 tonnes of CO2 to build and emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 every year just from heating alone. But this can be improved – encouraging statistics from Australia show green-certified buildings produce 62% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than average Australian buildings.

koru architects, eco architect, sustainable architect, green architect, sustainable design, eco design, brighton, green design, green buildings, healthy buildings, environmental benefits of green buildings, economic benefits of green buildings, social benefits of green buildings

Here at Koru, we know how to build green homes: our office and director Mark's home (left) is a great example.

Due to creative use of passive solar design, high insulation and energy-efficient appliances and lighting, the building only consumes around half the energy of a typical UK household and does not produce any direct carbon emissions in use.

Moreover, during construction steps were taken to minimise the embodied carbon from its construction by specifying sustainably-sourced timber.

According to the carbon analysis company Phlorum, the embodied carbon of the building was 17 tonnes, compared with a national average of 60 tonnes.

Through its generation of clean, renewable energy (solar PV panels) it is expected to offset 41 tonnes of carbon over its life and it will only take 23 years for the house’s whole lifecycle to be carbon-neutral.

As you can see from the above evidence, the environmental benefits of green buildings are huge, and by building healthy buildings we have the potential to vastly reduce carbon emissions, both in construction and in operation.

You don't need a zero carbon home to make a difference, even small changes can yield big results. So, if you're thinking of renovating, rebuilding or extending, bear in mind that investing in a green home will massively reduce your carbon footprint. The planet will thank you!


This post is part one in a series. 

  • Benefits of Green Buildings: part one – environmental
  • Benefits of Green Buildings: part two – economic
  • Benefits of Green Buildings: part three – social

22 August 2018

22.8.18 – See a Koru-designed house take shape on this house build blog

Ever wondered what it's like to demolish and rebuild a house? Check out our clients' fantastic house build blog and instagram account wearebuildingahouse.com which details the process with regular blogs, photos and time-lapse videos.

As they state in their first post back in February 2018, the purpose of the blog is to "[...] tell the story of what it’s like to knock down an old house and build something brand new.

"We’ve never done this before, but we are fortunate to have many good people guiding us through the process. We’ll post pictures, film and sounds from the build on a regular basis."

It's currently week 23, and you can spot Koru's Mark on a site visit in a couple of their recent photographs.

The house that had been on the site was very old, and the clients had initially wanted to renovate it, but after consulting us and a number of other professionals it was evident that the fabric of the building was beyond repair.

From the blog: "At some point after World War II, the house has been coated in a thick layer of render. What it hides we have no idea – but it’s likely to have been applied to mask some degradation of the brickwork and timbers behind.

"The result is that the windows cannot be replaced without removing all of the render – a process which could well lead to the house literally crumbling.

"So we took the decision to apply for planning permission to replace the house in its entirety."

The new design is a detached 4-bedroom family home which takes inspiration from the Arts and Crafts style of architecture while adding a contemporary twist and sustainable low-energy features. You can read more about the design and plans on our projects page here.


As well as following the house build blog you can keep up to date on instagram @wearebuildingahouse

4 October 2017

The benefits of bioplastics (#SuperSmartMaterials)

bioplastics, koru architects, super smart materials, eco architect, eco design

Bioplastics originate from biological material. We all know that oil and gas originate from biological organisms. But plastics derived from these natural oils and gases aren't bioplastics. So, what is a bioplastic?

One of the first synthetic plastics was made from cellulose, a substance made by plants and trees. This plastic is a bioplastic: the plastic's primary raw materials originate from biomass – living or renewable bio-organisms – rather than petroleum.

Are bioplastics better for the environment?

Using biomass raises complex questions about the potential impact on water use, recyclability, the effect of farming, greenhouse has emissions, food supply, the cost of food and other important issues.

bioplastics, koru architects, super smart materials, eco architect, eco designInterestingly, just because a material is a bioplastic does not mean it is biodegradable.

The use of renewable resources to produce bioplastics increases resource efficiency as the resources are cultivated on an annual basis. Cascading use of biomass is energy efficient as it can first be used as a material  and subsequently for energy generation.

It is also key in reducing the carbon footprint and saving fossil resources by substituting them step by step.

Advantages

  • Reduced CO2 emissions
  • Cheaper alternative
  • Waste – bioplastics don't generate as much toxic run-off
  • Reduced carbon footprint
  • Multiple end-of-life points – valuable raw materials can be reclaimed and recycled into other products

Disadvantages

  • Food crisis – it takes a lot of land to supply food/product for the production and will be hard to keep up with increasing demand for bioplastics
  • Contamination – bioplastics need to be separated by normal plastics, otherwise, they will become contaminated and cannot be used anymore which will add to landfill mass.

Bioplastic use at major companies Resource.co

  • Coca-Cola launched their PlantBottle use sugarcane from Brazil to create bio-monoethylene glycol for its fully-recyclable, but not compostable, PlantBottle packaging.
  • Lavazza launched a fully-compostable and biodegradable coffee capsule using Novamont’s Mater-Bi third-generation bioplastic in 2015.
  • Loowatt, portable toilets that may be familiar with the UK festival-goer uses bioplastics as part of its chemical-free human waste solution for places without plumbing. Using a patented and simple sealing technology to capture toilet waste in a biodegradable film, developed to also inhibit odours, the toilet stores the waste in a cartridge for periodic emptying. The bags and their contents can then be treated through anaerobic digestion to produce biogas and fertiliser.

What do you think? Let us know your thoughts using #SuperSmartMaterials and following us at @KoruArchitects

12 September 2017

Benefits of building with straw, plus examples (#SuperNaturalMaterials 7)

This is the seventh post in our Super Natural Materials series - you can view the whole series here.


How do you use straw in construction?

Straw-bale construction is a building method that uses bales of straw as structural elements, building insulation or even both – it's a sustainable method for building, from the standpoint of materials and energy needed for heating and cooling. The construction typically consists of stacking rows of bales, often in running-bond, on a raised footing or foundation, with a moisture barrier or capillary break between the bales and their supporting platform.

Bale walls can be tied together with pins of bamboo or wood, which add to the sustainability factor of the material. Alternatively, you can use wire meshes, then plaster either with a lime-based formulation or earth/clay render. Bale buildings can have structural frames of other materials, too – bales can simply serve as insulation.

Compressed straw bales have a wide range of documented insulation values. R-Value is a measurement of a material's insulating quality – the higher the number, the more insulating. The reported R-Value ranges from 17-55 (in American units). Bale walls are typically coated with a thick layer of plaster, which provides a well-distributed thermal mass.

 Benefits of building with straw:

  • Made from waste product - once the edible part of the grain has been harvested, the bales of straw give a new life to the material.
  • Great insulation - the thicker the bale, the better the R-Value.
  • Low-embodied energy - very little energy goes into the manufacturing of the product. Sunlight is the main source of energy for the plant.
  • Biodegradable - straw bales are 100% biodegradable; homes made from straw can last over 100 years if maintained properly and when the time comes, the straw bales can be plowed back into the earth.

Examples of building with straw:

BaleHaus at the University of Bath. Photo credit: University of Bath

BaleHaus at the University of Bath

"BaleHaus is an innovative two-storey straw building, constructed on campus using ‘ModCell’ - pre-fabricated panels consisting of a wooden structural frame infilled with straw bales or hemp and rendered with a breathable lime-based system. The system delivers a sustainable method of construction, combining the lowest carbon footprint and the best operational CO2 performance of any system of construction currently available. Straw offers the perfect material for environmentally friendly construction due to its renewable nature. Monitored for two years for its insulating properties, humidity levels, air tightness and sound insulation qualities, the research team established that the building maintains heat through very cold winters, stays dry and produces good sound insulation." - University of Bath

 

building with straw, super natural materials, koru architects, eco architect, sustainable architect

Quiet Earth Retreat Straw Bale House. Photo Credit: Self Build Central UK

 

Straw House in Pembrokeshire 

This home, situated in St Dogmaels on a woodland hilltop, overlooking breathtaking views of the Cardigan estuary in Pembrokeshire was the winner of the Grand Design Eco Home Award in 2008. Nicknamed Quiet Earth Retreat, is boasts two storeys and is an off-grid home, powered by the sun and wind. The home is an all-round sustainable property.

You can even book to stay at this home, here.

building with straw, super natural materials, koru architects, eco architect, sustainable architect

NO99 Straw Theatre. Photo Credit: ArchDaily

 

 

NO99 Straw Theatre

In 2011, Estonian studio Salto Architects completed a temporary summer theatre in Tallinn made of black spray-painted straw bales. The stage was put into place for six months to celebrate the city's status as 2011's European Capital of Culture.


Want more articles like this? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here. And tell us your thoughts about building with straw at @KoruArchitects using #SuperNaturalMaterials

6 July 2017

Benefits of building with hemp, plus examples (#SuperNaturalMaterials 5)

This is the fifth post in our Super Natural Materials series - you can view the whole series here.


building with hemp, super natural materials, koru architects, eco architect, sustainable architectHemp: a versatile material

Hemp is a plant that holds extraordinary history, from its use as paper, to hemp plastic, to its versatile uses in the construction industry. Natural building materials require minimal refining and processing, while simultaneously reducing the detrimental impact the construction industry has on the environment.

France is one of the countries to truly embrace and endorse the use of hemp in construction; for years it has been used as the material of choice in the conservation of timber frame buildings.

After processing the stems of the plant, two different materials are produced: hurds and fibers.

Hurds can be turned into products such as roofing tiles, wallboard, fibreboard, insulation, panelling, bricks and more recently, structural timber/hemp building blocks.

Fibers, on the other hand, are used in place of straw for bale wall construction or alternatively can be blended with mud for cob style construction.

For those asking – no, you can’t smoke it. The cannabis plant is resourceful in many ways and hemp happens to be one of them. This post will explore some of the top benefits of building with hemp, plus some examples of diverse hemp projects from our work and other designers.

 Benefits of building with hemp:

building with hemp, super natural materials, koru architects, eco architect, sustainable architect

Entrance to a hemp-built house in Israel. Photo credit: Tav Group/Yaeli Gavrieli

◦ Low embodied energy – doesn’t require much processing in its production, meaning that it is beneficial to the environment.

◦ Carbon storage – in its lifespan, it absorbs a large amount of CO2 from the atmosphere. During its growth stage, it will lock away up to 2 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of fibre harvested.

◦ Great thermal insulation properties – it's a medium density insulation material which is safe, efficient and durable. Low conductivity and a higher thermal mass enable it to retain heat and regulate thermal performance for a comfortable internal environment.

◦ Breathes, prevents condensation – it can absorb up to 20% of its weight in moisture without deterioration in its performance, unlike most other insulation materials. It can then release this moisture when required, regulating the internal humidity. Hemp is also mould-resistant.

◦ Non-flammable – when mixed with lime in Hempcrete construction, it is completely non-flammable.

◦ Lightweight – which increases its range of applications in the construction industry, can be used in lofts, walls and inter-floors.

◦ Recyclable – it’s biodegradable and non-toxic so it’s truly circular – it can completely decompose.

◦ Sustainable – hemp can be grown year-round and only takes up to 100 days to reach full growth.

◦ Low maintenance – it requires very little water to grow and does not require herbicides or chemical pesticides.

 

Examples of building with hemp:

building with hemp, super natural materials, koru architects, eco architect, sustainable architect

Marks & Spencer's Cheshire Oak Store

Opened in August 2012, M&S Cheshire Oaks has won multiple awards and is their biggest, greenest store. It has been designed to be the most carbon efficient store of theirs to date with an architectural and design strategy to address various areas of sustainability at once. It is the first store to use hemp and lime external wall panels which have excellent insulation properties resulting in the store losing less than 1°C of heat overnight compared to 9°C in other store environments.

[tweet https://twitter.com/IndustrialHemp/status/700349913142534149]

America's first hemp house in Asheville, North Carolina. The house is made with hempcrete and boasts an abundance of eco-friendly features. Using hempcrete allows a solid yet breathable wall. Hemp hurds were mixed with lime and water on-site and poured in-between the exterior supporting timber studs.

building with hemp, super natural materials, koru architects, eco architect, sustainable architect

Photograph: Tom Woolley

Hemp Cottage in County Down, Northern Ireland. Shortlisted in the Top 10 UK Eco-Homes, the house's main frame was built from locally sourced Douglas fir, with the stud work being cast with a hemp lime composite. Explore more about this home here.

Why do architects like working with hemp?

"It's a natural insulation material; it's hygroscopic, so has the ability to hold onto moisture, which allows it to act as a humidity regulator and of course, it's recyclable, that's why I used it on my house for insulation."

-  Mark Pellant, Director of Koru Architects


Want more articles like this? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here. Chat to us about building with hemp using #SuperNaturalMaterials

01273 204065
info@koruarchitects.co.uk

Studio 221, 91 Western Road,
Brighton and Hove, BN1 2NW

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