Focus
The Prince’s House highlights eco-living at the Ideal Home Show
17th March 2011
Visitors to the Ideal Home Show Exhibition at Earl’s Court in London, are able to experience the combination of sustainable living and time-honoured design at The Prince’s House.
The Prince’s House is a full-size re-creation of a concept created by His Royal Highness’s charity The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment.
The Prince’s Foundation is an educational charity founded by The Prince to help design and build lively and environmentally sustainable communities.
Originally called The Natural House, the building is constructed using natural materials including clay blocks, lime plaster and sheep’s wool insulation.
It was created by The Prince’s Foundation to show first-hand how a house can meet increasingly stringent low-carbon targets for new homes, yet embody the traditional designs that are so popular.
The Prince’s House does not use gadgets or hi-tech materials in order to be highly sustainable. The walls are clay block structures, which trap pockets of air to keep the house warm in winter and cool in the summer, helping to reduce heating bills. The roof and floor are insulated with lime-hemp and sheep’s wool.
This is the second time a house has been built for a member of The Royal Family at the Ideal Home Show. In 1935 His Majesty King George V was presented with a brick-built house by the Royal Warrant Holders to mark his silver jubilee. Designed by C.Beresford Marshall, a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and built by Mowlem, it was named “The King’s House”.
Further information:
The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment
Read more about HRH’s visit to the Building Research Establishment in Watford
Watch a video about the Natural House