9th November 2007
Students design their Big Green Home of the Future
The National Self Build & Renovation Centre has been flooded with inspirational drawings this week, in response to a new competition for young pupils and students to design their ideal Big Green Home of the Future, part of the Big Green Home Show taking place at the National Centre next week (13th – 18th November). The winning design will be awarded with a £1,000 grant for the school, to spend on an eco project of their choice.
The National Self Build & Renovation Centre in Swindon, host of the Big Green Home Show, has challenged over 2,000 young school children and students in a new annual competition, to design their ideal green home. The competition was launched by BuildStore, the company behind the National Centre and the Big Green Home Show, in October in an effort to raise awareness of environmental issues and encourage the next generation to think differently about how and where they live.
This week, BuildStore has had a fantastic response from schools and colleges, with lots of creative drawings, incorporating some of the latest eco technology and lifestyle measures. As part of the competition, BuildStore invited the young designers and their families to visit the unique Centre, to learn more about the environment and sustainability, using the educational and product exhibits for inspiration and discovering how homes can be built or renovated to become more energy efficient.
The ‘Green Experts’ from the National Self Build & Renovation Centre have also been out and about to visit the participating schools to talk to students about the energy efficiency, cutting carbon and reducing waste. Students learnt about the latest technology, products and materials that can be used to reduce carbon and save energy around the home to include in their designs, whilst also finding out about the smaller everyday changes that can make a difference.
Mike Hardwick, Self Build Advisor at the Centre, who visited some local schools, explains: “There was no shortage of challenging questions from the pupils, who were all eager to learn more about green issues and how they could make a difference.
“Given the enthusiastic reception we received and keen interest shown by the pupils, it’s clear that the environment will be a hot topic for years to come – it has certainly caught the imagination of the eco-warriors of tomorrow, and its fantastic to see this imagination captured in their green home designs!”
Jennifer Hulcoop, Geography teacher at St Joseph’s Catholic College in Swindon, commented:
“At St Joseph’s Catholic College, we think it important to care for the environment in which we live. The Big Green Home of the Future competition is an excellent way to involve our students in caring for and thinking about their environment in a creative and exciting way. The students have loved designing their eco homes and had lots of innovative ideas. St Joseph’s Catholic College is part of Eco-Schools and hopes to work again with the National Self Build & Renovation Centre in next year’s Big Green Home of the Future competition.”
The high standard drawings have impressed the National Self Build & Renovation Centre Green Experts, combining features such as solar panels, rainwater harvesting tanks, energy saving light bulbs and even vegetable patches. Learning about the different features and measures for eco-friendly living from the Green Experts at the National Centre, clearly sparked the children’s creativity, having produced some inspirational eco homes for the future.
All the competition entries be displayed at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre throughout the Big Green Home Show, and the schools taking part will be sending their pupils along to the National Centre on Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th November, giving them a chance to see all their drawings on display.
Each school has submitted 20 entries and the Centre experts will judge these and select the finalists from each of the three categories – infant (5-7 year olds), junior (8-11 year olds) and senior. A representative from Swindon Borough Council Planning & Building Control department will then select three winners from each age category, plus an overall winner on Tuesday 13th November. The overall winner will be invited back with school representatives, to be presented with their prize by special guest Peter Ainsworth MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, on Thursday 15th November at 12:45pm
The Big Green Home Show, sponsored by EDF Energy, will lift the veil on greener living from Tuesday November 13 to Sunday November 18, with the help of the some Big Green Heroes in the shape of the BBC’s Penney Poyzer, TV’s friendliest Builder and star of the Discovery Channel, Tommy Walsh, and the Big Green Giant himself, Dick Strawbridge. With a host of features and expert advice to help visitors choose how to live a green lifestyle, from the latest products, design innovation and small changes in day-to-day life, the Big Green Home Show will demonstrate that a green lifestyle needn’t mean a giant compost heap in the back yard. As well as eco-experts, visitors can hear from people who have built their own eco-homes, tour the renovation house to learn how to renovate houses to become more energy efficient, and check out the latest materials and products that can help to zap carbon and energy consumption.
Ends
Notes to Editors:
Photocall opportunity: You are invited to send a photographer to the National Self Build & Renovation Centre on Thursday 15th November, at 12:45pm, for photographs of the presentation by Peter Ainsworth MP, to the winning student and school representative. Please contact Jaclyn Thorburn to arrange your attendance on 07809 583 116
Schools taking part include:
Wroughton Infant School
Peatmoor Community School
Oaktree Nursery & Primary School
Nythe Primary School
Seven Fields Primary School
St Joseph's Catholic College
Newbury College
Brook Field Primary School
Tregoze Primary School
Dorcan Technology College
Highworth Warneford School
Kingsdown School
Cotswold Community School
BuildStore, the company behind the National Self Build & Renovation Centre, offers an end-to-end service to the self builder and people wanting to renovate or convert an existing property. To capture this rapidly growing market, The National Self Build and Renovation Centre was opened in February 2007.
The 67,000 sq ft Centre is on a different scale to anything seen before in the UK self build and renovation sector. It has a dual role of helping to educate people interested in self building and renovating and ensuring those actively building can find all the services and materials they need.
Visitors can learn about the different stages of the self build and renovation process from the “Education Zone”, which features six life-sized exhibits including, plant, groundworks, walls and roof structures. They can also find inspiration inside the Potton show home, and in the “Renovation Zone”, discover techniques for renovating, with a full-sized house transformed from an ‘old wreck’ to a fully renovated home.
For visitors just starting their self build or renovation journey, the National Self Build & Renovation Centre can help them find a plot of land, renovation or conversion opportunities, with PlotSearch, consider finance options for their project with the in-house financial advisors, or simply get advice from the team of experts. Those actively involved in the process can take advantage of TradeCard, a unique card which offers discounted prices building materials and tool hire from leading merchants and suppliers. Plus, over 240 industry suppliers showcase their products and services in a dedicated “Trade Village”, complete with a bar code system, allowing visitors to easily order brochures and further information, which will be sent to them at home.
For more information, or to request an interview, please contact:
Jaclyn Thorburn
PR & Communications Manager
BuildStore Ltd.
Direct: 01506 409 466
Mobile: 07809 583 116
Email: jaclyn.thorburn@buildstore.co.uk
