Students design 'sustainable homes'

A house that adapts with the weather and a property that can be built on flood pals have jointly won a design award, it has been reported.

Jennifer Ramirez jointly won the international Ecohouse Student Design Competition 2008 for her ecohome which changes to suit the climate.

According to the Concrete Centre, Ms Ramirez's design saw the north and south components separate from the main house - allowing for increased natural air circulation - when the weather gets warmer.

In colder climates the components retract and slide into the main quarters in an effort to conserve energy and heat.

A wall of plants that separate the living room and the kitchen was also included in the design for the home, which could provide ideas for people planning to create their own ecohome.

The Concrete Centre said that Lawrence Lowe designed the other joint winner, a property with a sedum grass roof that was designed "to ease the pressure on building on greenbeltland by realising the potential of building on flood plains".

An estimated 20,000 self build homes are built every year.