Dulwich Houses

: Evolve Structural Engineers, Ashstone MEP Mechanical & Electrical Design, Quedos Quantity Surveyors

Two new-build, contemporary, build-to-rent houses, each with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. They have West facing gardens and secure parking with electric car charging, in Dulwich, South-East London. The new homes are on a tight, urban, back-land site, surrounded by 18 Victorian houses and accessed through a narrow gap in the terrace. The new homes are now happily lived in; House 1 is occupied by the client, a retired architect and House 2 is occupied by a tenant, a family. Both new homes are sustainable and are electric only with no fossil fuels. They have air source heat pumps serving wet under floor heating and photovoltaic panels on the roof providing electricity for cooking, lighting, and car charging. To prevent heat-loss the houses have a double envelope of insulation (incorporating swift nesting boxes). There is Sustainable Urban Drainage (SUDs) via a porous gravel in resin access drive with water attenuation crates beneath. To prevent over-heating, the houses are orientated on an East-West access with adjustable external shutters to reduce glare and overlooking.