Sigma House, BRE Watford

Client: Stewart Milne

Role: Architecture, Sustainability Consultants and Code for Sustainable Homes Assessors

The design addresses the need for high density, sustainable living. The three storey house is arranged over four levels to minimise the building footprint and maximise affordability.

The house is designed to be near zero carbon in terms of space heating, hot water and lighting. It can achieve design stage Level 5* of the Code for Sustainable Homes. Super insulation makes it a highly energy efficient design and coupled with MVHR, solarthermal panels, photovoltaics and micro wind, 100% carbon doixide emission was achieved over Part L 2006. The house also includes other carbon reducing measures such as low energy appliances, a home office and cycle storage to reduce car travel.

The house is designed with an open-plan lay-out to suit modern lifestyles. A central core contains bathrooms and other highly serviced areas along with the stairway, which provides vertical circulation. Floor plates are connected onto this core, allowing a flexibility of sizes and uses of space. This also allows the home to change over time along the principles of Lifetime Homes. The adjoining house is built to show how it can be easily converted to a one bedroom flat or work unit on the ground floor and a 3-bed house above.