Lake House Zero

Due to be completed in 2015, Lake House Zero is the largest certified zero carbon home in the UK, probably the world. It has a gross internal area (GIA) of 15,450 sq.ft / 1,435 sq.m.

Clifford Atkins are leading the delivery of the project. They created a concept for the house, appointed the design team and are managing the construction stage. The project comprises the Zero Carbon house, a triple garage with estate office above, a refurbished boathouse, and extensive landscaping including new roads and competition standard mountain bike trails.

Designed to the highest level of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH), Lake House Zero sits at the edge of a thirty five acre lake, within 1500 acres of private estate in England's Lake District. The style is Arts & Crafts and respects the local vernacular of an English Country House. Despite the traditional appearance, new methods of construction have been used. The air-tight fabric is an Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) structure with the exterior dressed in natural stone from a local slate quarry.

Lake House Zero is an excellent example of how a house can be zero carbon and equipped with carbon hungry features such as a comfort cooled gym, cinema room, passenger lift, and a swimming pool - which has a motorised floor that rises to create a large usable floor area.

In addition to achieving Design Stage Certification of Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, Lake House Zero has been accepted on the LEED for Homes International Pilot, resulting in a unique case study that will identify key differences between the two international rating systems.