From Eco-Village to Eco-Community: Investigation of Hanham Hall, Derwenthorpe, and BedZED

1. Introduction

Hanham Hall and Derwenthorpe are two newly built eco-villages in the UK, where aside from a few articles and site briefings, there is limited relevant research. However, BedZED is a renowned eco-village, which has had much research and analysis (Chance 2009, Zhu 2015, Twinn 2003), and is regarded as being a prime example of ecological architecture. These three eco-villages or so-called eco-residences are considered generally successful, and have different characteristics which are studied in-depth in the following sections.

1.1 Hanham Hall

Hanham Hall (figure 1) is an exemplar energy efficient housing scheme which was originally part of the government’s Carbon Challenge to build zero carbon homes. It is one of the flagships Carbon Challenge schemes completed in 2015, promoted by the Homes and Communities Agency and, designed to be England’s first large-scale housing scheme to achieve the 2016 zero-carbon standard. Hanham Hall provided 186 homes for sale and rent, ranging from one-bedroom apartments to five-bedroom houses, all packed with innovative ideas; adopt advanced ecological low-energy technology. The nine-hectare site adjoins the greenbelt and is located 7km from the north east of Bristol. The scheme was judged Best Sustainable Development in Britain in 2014.

Figure 1.

Hanham Hall (From:https://www.barrattdevelopments.co.uk/showcase/hanham-hall-bristol)

1.2 Derwenthorpe

Derwenthorpe (figure 2) is creating a landmark community of energy-efficient homes, designed to meet the needs of both current and future residents. Derwenthorpe will complete in 2019 eventually offer about 500 high-qualities environmentally friendly and energy efficient homes, which located in 2 miles to the east of York city center, through a partnership between the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, Barratt/David Wilson Homes and the City of York Council. It is a mixed tenure community the scheme is being built in four phases; the first phase of 64 homes was completed in 2013. Through ZERO-PLUS (Synnefa 2017) three properties will be transformed into near zero energy homes. The properties will demonstrate the next generation of low energy and low carbon homes.

Figure 2.

Derwenthorpe (From:https://www.barrattdevelopments.co.uk/showcase/derwenthorpe-york)