A Norfolk architect is hoping to revolutionise the way we build houses, drawing on a centuries-old construction method to solve a very modern problem.
For Norwich-based architect Anthony Hudson, mud has always held a special fascination.
Inspired by centuries-old cob construction methods, he has long believed this easily available material could be key to making the building of modern homes more environmentally friendly.
So when the EU announced it was looking for architects to come up with new ways of using earth in houses, he leapt at the opportunity.
He said: “The challenge was to create a home using earth as the primary building material, but which could also be thermally insulated.
“Earth is a very sustainable way to build, especially because it's so widely available here in the UK.
“The problem is that to make it an effective insulator you usually have to make the walls incredibly thick, which is impractical.”
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After much experimentation, Mr Hudson and his team came up with a solution which uses a combination of pure cob to create structural integrity, and thermally insulated earth.
The insulating layer is made by mixing mud with natural fibres like hemp straw, and allows the walls to be kept to 600mm thickness, without compromising energy efficiency.
Last month, the first home created using this method was finished in Fakenham, built by local firm Grocott and Murfit.
And although there is still some way to go before the technique can be introduced to a wider market, Mr Hudson is positive that one day, homes like this will be commonplace.
He said: “Although the materials are cheap and easy to source, the building method is very time-consuming.
“At the moment it all has to be done by hand, so labour costs run high.
“However, our next step is to figure out how we can refabricate buildings to cut that down.
“Once we’ve worked that out, my guess is this will be a very attractive method.”
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