We designed (and built, with a little help from our friends) a passive solar timber frame house at the 1986 Milton Keynes Energy World Exhibition. Since then, work with community self build groups has given opportunities to resolve the tricky conflict between low build costs and energy efficiency.

Most of the self-build projects resulted in reasonably well-insulated conventional dwellings. The Holgate Park young people's self build scheme in York (with York Housing Association) was a welcome step towards more radical solutions, with higher standards of insulation and a two-storey sunspace to each dwelling.

Further work with York HA resulted in studies for an inner-city sustainable housing scheme (Moss Street) which was overtaken by site ownership issues.

The relationship with York HA did however lead to construction of an 18-unit sustainable housing scheme on land adjacent to an urban nature park. Following lengthy site acquisition problems the scheme started on site in 2003, completed six-months later.

The design process for the scheme is in itself interesting as it involved both the contractor Wates (the project was done on a partnering basis) and researchers from Leeds Metropolitan University (the project was used as a pilot for 2005 building regulations proposals).

These two factors resulted in extensive consideration of energy issues (especially airtightness, cold bridging and passive solar measures) alongside site practice.