Earthship Brighton

Earthship Brighton is a self-sustainable building, completed in 2006^[1] and owned by the non-profit Low Carbon Trust, situated in Stanmer Park, Brighton, England.^[2][3]

Earthship Brighton

The building is an example of passive solar earth-sheltered design and was constructed using waste car tyres and other recycled materials such as cans and bottles. The structure incorporates rammed earth tyres,^[3] renewable power systems and rainwater harvesting.^[4] It uses the planet's natural systems to provide heat, power and water and is designed to work as an autonomous building.^[5]

History

The Low Carbon Network, later renamed the Low Carbon Trust, was responsible for the construction of Earthship Brighton. Alex Leeor, one of the original co-directors of the Low Carbon Network, played a key role in securing funding for the project and contributing to its initial work.^[6]

The Low Carbon Trust crew were trained by Mike Reynolds, who designed the Earthship structure and is the founder of Earthship Biotecture.^[7] Earthship Brighton is currently one of only two Earthships in the UK^[3] and was the first Earthship to be built in England.^[8]

Earthship Brighton is used as a community and environmental education centre, with regular guided tours for the public.^[9] It is used as a venue for various green building courses, including a three-day course on 'Self-building an Earthship'.

In 2007, a book was written about the project: Earthships: building a zero carbon future for homes.^[10] A second edition, Earthships in Europe, was published in 2012, with case studies of earthships in France, Spain, and the UK. There is also an in-depth analysis of the thermal performance of the earthship in a temperate climate.

Awards

Earthship Brighton has won ten awards and commendations. These include:

• South East Renewable Sustainable Energy Awards 2005 in the field of Innovation - Winner
• Environment Agency’s Water Efficiency Awards 2006 - Winner
• Sustain Magazine’s Construction and Renovation category; DfES category 2006;
• Green Apple Awards 2007 for the Built Environment and Architectural Heritage – National Gold Winner in the New Build Tourism category;
• Green Apple Awards 2007 – National Gold Winner for Business;
• South East Low Carbon Awards 2007 – Highly commended in the Low Carbon Development of the Year category
• National Energy Efficiency Awards 2007 – Highly commended in the Construction & Renovation category
• The Argus Eco Award 2010 – Winner of Greenest Building in Sussex^[11]