Eco-Friendly Prefabricated Home in Cambridge

This highly energy-efficient house is located on a garden plot in central Cambridge. The site is relatively small and entirely surrounded by brick-clad Victorian terraces.

The new build was designed as a compact box to the centre of the plot to maximise available internal floor area and outdoor space, away from the site boundaries. The larger outdoor area is located to the south of the house, allowing residents to enjoy a sunbathed garden.

The house’s layout is intertwined with its immediate context. The social spaces such as the dining and living room are located on the ground floor, with access to the garden, while the kitchen, pantry and utility room face north.

On the first floor, the bedrooms have been positioned to the north of the house to prevent  overlooking. The bathrooms, dressing and linen rooms face south featuring translucent windows situated above eye level.

The house was clad in timber due to the material’s environmental credentials. However, thanks to the horizontal striations and leaving the timber untreated, the home has a strong presence and gravity akin to a heavy brick front.

The house is was designed as an eco-friendly, low energy house for healthy living. Constructed by Baufritz using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and off-site prefabricated closed wall and roof panels. The entire dwelling was erected in less than three days, minimising disruption to neighbours and site wastage.

Thermal insulation values are roughly twice current UK standards and all windows are triple-glazed. Only non-chemical natural materials have been used throughout. The timber used for construction is logged from certified sustainable forests. The shell is 100% biodegradable and can be completely returned to nature.

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