Earthship Brighton

Earthship Brighton

Earthship Brighton is a self-sustainable building, completed in 2006[1] and owned by the non-profit Low Carbon Trust, situated in Stanmer Park, Brighton, England.[2][3]

The building is an example of passive solar earth-sheltered design and was constructed using waste car tyres and other recycled materials such as cans and bottles. The structure incorporates rammed earth tyres,[3] renewable power systems and rainwater harvesting.[4] It uses the planet's natural systems to provide heat, power and water and is designed to work as an autonomous building.[5]

History

The Low Carbon Network, later renamed the Low Carbon Trust, was responsible for the construction of Earthship Brighton. Alex Leeor, one of the original co-directors of the Low Carbon Network, played a key role in securing funding for the project and contributing to its initial work.[6]

The Low Carbon Trust crew were trained by Mike Reynolds, who designed the Earthship structure and is the founder of Earthship Biotecture.[7] Earthship Brighton is currently one of only two Earthships in the UK[3] and was the first Earthship to be built in England.[8]

Earthship Brighton is used as a community and environmental education centre, with regular guided tours for the public.[9] It is used as a venue for various green building courses, including a three-day course on 'Self-building an Earthship'.

In 2007, a book was written about the project: Earthships: building a zero carbon future for homes.[10] A second edition, Earthships in Europe, was published in 2012, with case studies of earthships in France, Spain, and the UK. There is also an in-depth analysis of the thermal performance of the earthship in a temperate climate.

Awards

Earthship Brighton has won ten awards and commendations. These include:

  • South East Renewable Sustainable Energy Awards 2005 in the field of Innovation - Winner
  • Environment Agency’s Water Efficiency Awards 2006 - Winner
  • Sustain Magazine’s Construction and Renovation category; DfES category 2006;
  • Green Apple Awards 2007 for the Built Environment and Architectural Heritage – National Gold Winner in the New Build Tourism category;
  • Green Apple Awards 2007 – National Gold Winner for Business;
  • South East Low Carbon Awards 2007 – Highly commended in the Low Carbon Development of the Year category
  • National Energy Efficiency Awards 2007 – Highly commended in the Construction & Renovation category
  • The Argus Eco Award 2010 – Winner of Greenest Building in Sussex[11]

References

  1. ^ Martin Godrey Cook (16 September 2011). The Zero-Carbon House. Crowood. pp. 207–. ISBN 978-1-84797-331-3.
  2. ^ "Earthship Green Homes". MAKE.
  3. ^ a b c Jennifer A. Sandlin; Brian D. Schultz; Jake Burdick (29 July 2010). Handbook of Public Pedagogy: Education and Learning Beyond Schooling. Routledge. pp. 172–. ISBN 978-1-135-18419-3.
  4. ^ Colin A. Booth; Susanne M. Charlesworth (31 March 2014). Water Resources in the Built Environment: Management Issues and Solutions. Wiley. pp. 232–. ISBN 978-1-118-80911-2.
  5. ^ "Earthship Brighton - Low Carbon Trust". engagingplaces.org.uk.
  6. ^ "LOW CARBON NETWORK - Officers". UK Government - Companies House. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  7. ^ "Europe 5 - Page 5". earthshipeurope.org.
  8. ^ "Build Your Own Earthship: the Ultimate Sustainable Home!". sustainablebuild.co.uk.
  9. ^ "Tours of Earthship Brighton". Low Carbon Trust. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  10. ^ Hewitt, M. and Telfer, K. (2007): Earthships: building a zero carbon future for homes ISBN 978-1-86081-972-8
  11. ^ https://lowcarbon.co.uk/timeline-now "Timeline now"