Eco Arch

I Love

I caught the end of Grand Designs on the TV tonight and was impressed the this Eco Arch has the capacity to generate about £1,800 of excess energy per year, so the owners can sell it back to the grid! That’s quite a hefty sum.

So I went online and decided to watch the entire episode to find out more. It’s an amazing feet of engineering - the arch is made of thouseands of small clay tiles all stuck together with plaster of paris. This arch is then added to with extra layers of tiles with each layer set at 45 degree angles off the first. Once it was sealed, they then added layers of gravel and soil to insulate the building. I’m amazed it stands up without any internal support.

I also can’t believe how much they spent on windows alone! A staggering amount. But what they’ve ended up with is a ‘passive house’ - something that’s energy efficient and self regulating. I love it.