The Saint Gobain Nottingham H.O.U.S.E embodies wonderfully clear, spatially concise and sustainably efficient design from concept to reality. The H.O.U.S.E stands for Home Optimising the Use of Solar Energy; it adopts a cradle-to-cradle approach to ’use, reuse, recycle’.

This house was designed as a starter home, providing for a family of two adults and one child. The design explores the concept of the family home, while also considering its role in the wider urban fabric. The architectural footprint includes a private external courtyard which provides the family with a shaded external space for summer, as well as giving them a green space in which to develop a food producing garden. A comfortable interior is provided by the design throughout the different seasons of the year.

Saint Gobain
Nottingham
H.O.U.S.E

Solar Decathlon 2010

The house has been designed to compete in the Solar Decathlon 2010 which is an international competition aiming to advance the knowledge of sustainable homes. The competition places particular emphasis on high efficiency and energy self-sufficiency. The final phase of the competition was held in Madrid in June 2010 with over 20 houses designed and built by universities from the USA, Brazil, China, Mexico, Germany, UK, Finland, Israel, France and Spain. The houses, which were grid connected, underwent 10 contests, hence Decathlon. Working alongside industry, Nottingham university students were being challenged to use their dynamism and capacity for innovation to design and build a self-sufficient house powered by the sun, and achieve a balance between the architecture and engineering aspects.