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A unique and eco-friendly new build home

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When the owners of Greenwood decided to build their own home, a simple and highly functional approach to design was top of their wishlist. 

The owners needed their home to be healthy, sustainable, and sympathetic to the external environment.

They appointed Gale & Snowden, an architect practice renowned for their commitment to unifying elegant architecture with low energy principles, to design their remarkable energy efficient house in the North Devon countryside.

Originally a single storey dwelling, Greenwood was redesigned to become a holistic building capable of maximising space and a connection to nature, enhancing energy efficiency, and delivering sustainable on-site fuel and food provisions.

Eco-friendly credentials

Built into the south facing bank of a valley using natural materials and finishes, the home leverages many of the site’s assets to provide a wealth of aesthetic, energy efficiency, and sustainability benefits. 

The home maximises both daylight and the panoramic countryside views through a combination of VELUX roof windows, large glazed gables and vertical windows. The home boasts impressive eco credentials too, generating its own fuel and power from coppiced wood, solar thermal and PV panels, while its garden provides a sustainable source of food for the owners.

Inside, a spectacular open plan kitchen-diner-living space was designed with double height volumes, voids and influxes of natural light to introduce openness and a sense of spaciousness throughout the home. The VELUX roof windows allow the owners to control the indoor climate through passive cooling from natural ventilation and passive heating from solar gains.

Gale & Snowden Director Ian Snowden said, “The use of natural and healthy building materials predominates the property and reinforces the client’s desire for closeness to nature and simplicity in lifestyle."

"Through the use of VELUX roof windows, we flooded the property with natural daylight and provided strong links between the interior and exterior spaces, allowing the beautiful North Devon setting to enhance the experience of residing within Greenwood."
- Gale & Snowden Director Ian Snowden

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