East London Life

A revolutionary “zero-carbon” house which removes harmful emissions instead of releasing them into the atmosphere is to be built in Hackney.

The environmentally friendly, two-bedroom home is one of the first designs to take in carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming, rather than causing it.

The house, which has received planning permission from Hackney Council, is scheduled to be built in Fenn Street, Homerton, this summer.

Jon Goodbun, director of The Working Architecture Group (WAG), who helped design the house, says it could be the start of a new way of environmentally friendly living.

“In principal, this sort of house could be built quite cheaply and easily,” said Jon, who lives in Kenworthy Road, Homerton.

“This one is designed to a high-design specification, but it could be a quite valuable idea in the future.”

The house has been shipped over from Germany, where it was pre-built, and is currently on show at the Sustainable London exhibition.

It has already saved massive amounts of CO2 from polluting the atmosphere because it is made from timber rather than concrete or brick, which are much more damaging to the environment, and the house continues to be environmentally friendly by taking CO2 out of the atmosphere and storing it.

It also uses solar panels for heating and collects and recycles rain water. “The house is totally self-sufficient during the summer, but it may need a bit of a boost in winter,” added Jon.

“Although it had to be shipped over from Germany, it still works out as having far lower carbon levels than using traditional building methods.”

The house will be put in place permanently by a crane.

WAG has also designed an environmentally friendly bar in Bohemia Place, Hackney, proposals for which are undergoing scrutiny by planning officials.