Inside two carbon-negative zero-waste homes in Walthamstow
When it comes to architecture, E17 is famous for its fine Victorian houses, such as those built by Thomas Courtenay Warner between the 1880s and 1900, making up what are now known as the Warner Estates. While we’re not yet tired of ornate cornicing, big bay windows and charming brickwork, we enjoy feeling surprised by homes that are done differently. Enter The Arbour: a collection of 10 planet-positive homes defined by their angular wooden façades, located down a private mews off Orford Road, a particularly buzzy street in the heart of Walthamstow Village.
The residential project was pioneered by developers GS8, who strive to be as sustainable as possible. To build the homes, they worked with locally sourced materials salvaged from the site itself – from excavated earth (which was turned into bricks) to reclaimed steel, used to create a communal kitchen garden. Each of the timber-framed houses are incredibly well insulated, exceeding the standard required by Passivhaus, so you can expect a consistent internal temperature all year round and will have little need for heating (which is supplied by an air-source heat pump). Other eco credentials we’re excited by are the fruit and veg patches that encourage residents to cultivate their own produce, and the fact the houses are totally deconstructable and recyclable.
Inside, both homes have thoughtful and tactile schemes we’re giving top marks. In the kitchen, we particularly love the worktops that have been made on site with old timber chippings and resin. You can find an equally clever material in the bathroom: here tiles have been made by Smile Plastics – a brand turning trash (waste yoghurt pots) into treasure (a pretty pearlescent substance). (You can read more about the brand’s work in our feature on how to better your bathroom). Elsewhere, natural materials – such as lime-screed floors and birch-ply and earth-brick walls – create a neutral scheme that provides a covetable sense of calm.
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