Chalk Wall House, Dorchester

 Chalk Wall House' is a private residential Eco-House constructed as a self-build project built from rammed chalk extracted from the site and was completed in 2010. Built in the former vegetable plot of the client's large garden and separated by a mature Beech hedge, the project drew its inspiration and starting point from the local landscape. In view from the site is Maiden Castle - the largest Iron Age Hill fort in Europe, and constructed of huge Chalk banks.To satisfy planning concerns, and minimise visual impact on the existing property and neighbours the house is partially buried into the site. The material excavated to do so was subsequently used to construct thermally massive thick walls against the adjacent Railway lines serving Weymouth to Waterloo, and the neighbours to the North. The timber 'formwork' used to construct the chalk walls was entirely re-used to make the floor, roof and external walls of the inner facing courtyard. This sits atop a modular glu-laminated timber frame designed to minimise material waste. The house is super insulated using sheeps' wool, has intensive and extensive green roofs, a biomass boiler, solar thermal water heating panels, a mechanical heat recovery ventilation (MHRV) system and is fully sprinklered to protect against fire.