At Home Tales, we provide an excellent service of designing home extensions and refreshing home renovations in London. We feel it is important for a ground floor extension company in London to have ample experience with sustainable builds and eco-friendly home solutions. The climate issue is not lost on us as we try our best to introduce greener and accessible options to our clients.

In today’s post, we would like to explore some successful eco-friendly housing developments that are thriving in London. We think it’s important to draw inspiration from projects like BedZED and the Olympic Village, which have shown us ways to design sustainably to help preserve our natural world.

BedZED, South London

Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) is an eco-friendly housing development based in Hackbridge, South London. The idea was initiated by BioRegional, an organisation dedicated to creating sustainable living, who partnered with ZEDfactory Architects. The idea came about in 1997, with initial Architects teaming up with the developer Peabody Trust to secure the undeveloped plot in Sutton, previously used for spreading waste materials from the nearby sewage plant. After much preparation and planning, construction began in 2001 and was swiftly completed in 2002.

The final product was a zero-carbon eco-village that introduced 100 homes (of mixed sizes), offices, a college, and community spaces, to the local area. 15% of the construction materials used were reclaimed from other projects, for example, most of the steel had been reused from works at Brighton Station. Furthermore, over half of the materials were sourced within 35 miles of the site. It quickly became famous for being the most ambitious attempt at overall sustainability in a new, large-scale housing development in the UK. It’s also the UK’s first large-scale mixed-use sustainable community. Due to curiosity and admiration from observers around the world, it attracted thousands of visitors, creating tourism revenue for locals.

They homes were designed to be warm yet well-ventilated, with each terrace arranged to face South to maximise on passive solar gain. Most occupants had access to a private outdoor space, whilst many had small gardens. The structure comprises of adequate thermal massing (such as concrete) that stores heat during hot days and releases it during cold days. Biomass boilers were used throughout, hence the zero-carbon claim. The entire plot was planned to promote walking, cycling, and use of public transport, therefore there was less need for personal motor vehicles. Solar panels cover the entirety of the BedZED roofs to provide a sustainable, passive energy source. Water-saving appliances were implemented throughout the development, resulting in the use of 40% less water than the average Sutton home.

East Village, Stratford

Formerly known as the Olympic village, the East Village in Stratford was completed in 2012 to accompany the London 2012 Olympics. This development of high-density apartments was to be the home for the athletes during the games. The London Olympics was dubbed to be “the most sustainable games ever”, introducing spectacular structures, housing, and careful master planning that would be eco-friendly and aspirational.

After the Olympics, the village created 2,818 new homes, with 1,379 affordable homes for sale and rent to the public. There are 2,000 more homes in planning and awaiting construction. The setting was perfect for such a development, with Stratford International Station nearby and fast public transport links to central London. Being in Zone 2 and being in close distance to a huge retail mall, Westfields Stratford, meant that was no need for personal cars, especially for city workers.

The design of the East Village placed emphasis on nurturing the natural environment. This was accomplished by introducing systems for water recycling system, and combined heat and power. Furthermore, green/living roofs were covered with vegetation to encourage wildlife and slow down the flow of surface water run-off. These apartments lost less heat compared to low-rise housing. The village uses 30 per cent less energy than the average urban area and features 10 hectares of park land with walking and cycling routes.

The East Village achieved a level 4 in the Code for Sustainable Homes, which is an environmental assessment introduce in 2006 for rating the performance of new homes in the UK. This considers energy usage, carbon emissions, water saving measures, sustainable materials, waste management, surface water run-off, and much more. It also achieved 3 gold awards from the Considerate Constructors’ Scheme during the construction stage.

If you’ve been inspired to carry out some works to improve your home, why not give us a call? Our amazing team of professionals would love to hear from you on 02070432378 or at hello@hometales.co.uk. Alternatively, book in a telephone consultation with a member of our team by clicking here. We offer two types of call, a Standard Consultation that covers general advice, project feasibility, followed by a detailed quote, and the Consultation Plus that offers all of the above, and much more.