The winners are a family from Lewes with eight children who collect the award and a cheque for £5,000.
N&P has offered green mortgages since 1998 and holds the competition every year to raise awareness of how homes can be built in a more responsible way. The long awaited report by Sir Nicholas Stern, published in October 2006, has made people in the UK stop arguing about whether climate change actually exists and start arguing about how to tackle the problem. N&P views this as a positive development, even if it only makes people fit energy-efficient light-bulbs. But the Society hopes the majority of people will do far more to make their properties energy efficient.
This year’s winners, Aaron Curtis and his wife Raphaella, have eight children between them. They built their striking modern design home on a plot that most people would reject as impossible to build on. The land cost £60,000, the build cost was £240,000 and the completed and much-loved home is now valued at £900,000.
Competition judge, Richard Lloyd (managing director of Hockleys, N&P’s independent surveying business), said: “The diversity and standard of entries this year was exceptional, proving that eco-building is developing beyond a purist lifestyle choice to a real alternative to the traditional brick and block self-build.
“This year’s winner combined very firm eco principles with innovation and determination to build on a site that the vast majority of people would reject as being unsuitable or too difficult. Raphaella and Aaron can be truly proud of their home and, together with their architects, must be congratulated by the way this eco-home was conceived, planned and built.”
Around 20,000 people 'self-build' their own homes every year, but thousands more dream of having a home built to their own specification. Aaron (a project manager in construction) and Raphaella (who is a registrar at Lewes Registry office) worked with locally-based BBM Sustainable Design to draw up the plans for their four-storey, five bedroom townhouse.
Aaron said: “Most people would have been put off from even thinking about building on this site, which is next to a partially demolished viaduct near the main railway line to Lewes, and is also bordered by two other houses and a narrow back road. But we saw the potential.
“It’s vital to have good communication with your architect and to give them a clear brief at the outset. We got on really well with BBM. Making all the decisions before work starts – and not changing your minds too many times in the process – can save you thousands of pounds.
“When N&P asked why we had opted for an eco-friendly design, I replied why not? This was a huge opportunity to undertake a unique project. We’ve created an environmentally-friendly, and fun, living space on a brownfield site using local labour and materials. This home suits the needs of our family and we hope it will be an inspiration to others.”
