Project Data
A pair of semi-detached loadbearing straw houses, built for the Hotel at Raleghs Cross, Exmoor, Devon one of the highest places in England. These two houses were designed by amazonails, built by courses run by Bee Rowan and Barbara Jones of amazonails and by the local builder, Quantock. The party wall is also made from loadbearing straw, giving excellent thermal and acoustic insulation between the two households. They were designed for the staff of the Hotel, and they are extremely pleased with their homes! The local planners refused to allow the houses to have a different orientation so that they could face south, and maximise solar gain, but even so, they are so thermally efficient that it requires only a 2 bar electric fire to heat them in winter.