The architect of BedZED and his collaborators on the design of zero-carbon neighbourhoods: south-facing terraces with sunspaces, north-side workspaces, green roofs, wind cowls, and a lower need for cars.
BedZED, the Beddington Zero (fossil) Energy Development in the London borough of Sutton, designed by Bill Dunster with Arup and the charity BioRegional for the Peabody Trust and completed in 2002, put about a hundred homes and workspaces on a former sewage-works site. Terraces run east–west; homes face south behind triple-height sunspaces; offices face north into the shadow of the row in front, where cool, even light suits work; roofs carry sedum and gardens; brightly coloured cowls on the roofs turn in the wind to drive ventilation with heat recovery.
The ZEDbook generalises the lessons into a set of standard types and a method for planning whole neighbourhoods at medium-high density with low energy use.
The book, part by part
I The ZED terrace
South sunspaces, north workspaces, roof gardens, wind cowls.
Rules: The zero-energy terrace