Eco House

However, this project for an underground eco house in the hills north of Bolton is certainly one of the most remarkable we’ve seen.

Designed by Make Architects for former Manchester United club captain Gary Neville, the ambition of the scheme is to deliver a home of the highest environmental efficiency, by pushing current sustainable thinking in design, construction and environmental impact.

Located in designated “greenbelt” land and part of a conservation area, there were many planning conditions in place which sought to protect the landscape. For any scheme to obtain approval, the planning committee would need to be convinced that the building would not only surpass all environmental criteria, but also be of ‘outstanding architectural merit’.

Working very closely with the client and the design team at Make as the building design evolved, our carefully composed illustrations set out to prove that the designs were worthy of permission to build in this protected area, and helped to elevate design standards.

Our views looked to communicate the defining factors of the project – the dramatic ‘carving’ of courtyards into the hillside, the minimal impact on the surrounding moorland and meadows, the locally sourced building materials, and the intelligent framing of views from the interior.

A further series of surveyed ‘verified’ views gave the planning committee the confidence to review the proposals, and further to appeal planning permission has now been granted.

The scheme has already been billed as a ‘house of the future’ and identified as an exemplar project within the Government’s planning guidance.