The H4 house design looks at how to make best use of the home, by providing the inherent adaptability to allow the home to be changed and extended to meet occupants’ needs throughout their lives. The design also allows for the incorporation of green technologies and is built using re-usable and recyclable materials.

The house is based around a standard H4 core, which provides the structure, the main services and access to the rest of the living space. Inserted into this core are further pods for living (H4lpod), eating (H4epod) and sleeping (H4spod). As living requirements change with time, the pods can easily be replaced or added to as needed, as they are manufactured offsite as separate sections and simply assembled on site. It is envisaged that the pod elements would be constructed within the community itself.

At the heart of the H4 house design is the core, and the flexibility of the design and layout of the living pods is such that there are almost an infinite number of layout combinations and elevational treatments. The house can be arranged as detached, semi-detached or terraced units and can be built at one, two or three storeys high. The model shown here is a four-bedroom three-storey home.

The house is designed with a framed structure with the columns sitting on concrete pad foundations, so minimising the amount of excavation needed. The core structure is made from timber frame with timber stud infill panels, sheep’s wool or hemp/cotton insulation and timber cladding.

The pods are constructed in a similar way, with an engineered timber structure forming a rigid box that connects into the core structure and cantilevers over the supports wrapping around the core flank walls. There are also balcony structures, comprising supported treated timber joists with timber decking.

All the main mechanical and electrical services are integrated into the core. A service zone incorporating all duct and pipe routes is linked to the plant area and toilet and bathing areas in the core. The design allows for green technology to be installed in the building and a mini-power plant is sited on the core’s roof. The rooflight and chimney upstands provide support for a timber deck structure that can support solar panels. The sedum-planted pod roofs drain rainwater into the core roof, and the collected water is recycled for toilet flushing. Power and heating can be provided communally by small combined heat and power plants.

A community of H4 homes could house a range of occupants, from first-time buyers to established families to retired couples. The design proposal includes a community hub building that houses such activities as: a refuse store, recycling point, composting bins, meeting hall, community workshops where pods can be built, and household stores.

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