Medieval architecture has been employed to provide energy-efficient living in Kent, in a home that is to feature in Channel Four’s Grand Designs programme tonight.

The four-bedroom Crossway house in Staplehurst uses a large vault constructed out of clay tiles spanning 20m to create a structure with a low embodied energy and high thermal mass.

The basic design is adapted from a historic Mediterranean technique called “timbrel vaulting”, which uses thin bricks to create lightweight and durable buildings.

The arch uses three layers of overlapping tiles – creating an overall thickness of 100mm – which is then covered with insulation and a waterproofing layer followed by 20 tonnes of gravel and soil.

Read the Complete Story in Building Magazine.