The £8m eco-home... from Gary Neville

Teletubbies or green living?

Everyone wants to do their bit to help the environment - turn the lights off when you're not using them, put solar panels on the roof maybe, even install a water metre. However, this is not enough for footballer Gary Neville who is set to spend GBP£8 million on a zero-carbon, underground eco-home.

The property, which has apparently taken three years to design and plan, is a 750 sq m (8000 sq ft) development that has been purposely designed to "minimise the impact on the surrounding views", with grass and plants disguising the roof. Neville is hoping to use planning laws to allow the construction of his new home on green belt land paving the way for eco-country homes that are "truly outstanding and ground-breaking."

That is one way to put it, however critics have compared it to the home of the Teletubbies and mocked the fact that it looks like a massive flower carved into the land.

Designed by Make Architects, the unique structure is divided into six separate sections or 'petals', called 'eat, 'relax', 'entertain', 'work', 'sleep' and 'play'. They are all arranged around a central communal area. Completely eco-friendly at the footballer's behest, the home features a ground source heat pump, photovoltaic solar panels and a wind turbine to generate power, which will supply Neville's neighbouring property as well.

Unsurprisingly, Neville's neighbours in Harwood, Bolton have already dubbed the eco-home 'The Teletubbies House', however if they are to benefit from the properties power supplies, it is almost certain the mirth will turn to gratitude in time.

"Locally sourced"

Stuart Frazer, who is a partner at Make Architects, has nothing but praise for Gary Neville's concern for the environment.

"It has been a privilege to be given a brief which has allowed us to truly test the boundaries of current sustainable thinking.

"We have designed a beautiful and functional family home that consumes less energy than it uses and building materials will be locally sourced and traditional building methods will be used."

If the Bolton Council approves the plans, then construction could begin later in the year with the design being used as a blueprint for future green homes.

Relevant articles:

Green logistics | Sustainable building design | Green buildings

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