ABSTRACT
BedZED tries to show that it is possible to substantially reduce a typical household’s carbon emissions, and hence reduce its overall ecological footprint, while at the same time increasing overall quality of life. A plain economic argument will probably move us faster towards creating a carbon-neutral urban infrastructure in the UK. At BedZED almost every flat has a small land- or sky-garden and a double-glazed conservatory, integrating the two features most desired by many suburban households. The outline planning brief for BedZED sought permission for 305 habitable rooms on the site and it was this density limit that created the market value of the site. BedZED incorporates 300 mm minimum super-insulation, triple-glazing, south-facing glazed sunspaces, thermally massive floors and walls, good daylight and passive-stack ventilation with heat recovery. One of the persistent myths about BedZED was that it must have been expensive to build, but this can easily be refuted.
