Upcycled roof-top dwelling skirts need for planning permission

Killing numerous birds with one stone, the H-VAC house provides quick-build living space on existing brownfield sites using upcycled materials whilst bypassing the need for planning permission.

The H-VAC is an architectural chameleon, disguising itself as a large air conditioning unit in “a playful subversion of planning legislation, exploiting permitted development rights for rooftop plant.”

The clever dwelling, which can sleep two, minimises its environmental impact by making use of thousands of discarded Tetra Pak drinks containers to create shingles for its roof.

London firm Pupa Architects developed the innovative upcycled design as their entry to the inaugural Antepavilion international design competition. According to the team behind the H-VAC, “The pavilion includes a small room two stories up with two comfortable benches designed for up to 6 people to sit and talk or work enjoying the elevated position above the canal. The pavilion extends the mix of artists’ studios and event spaces in the warehouses below and offers a retreat high-up on the rooftops. A hung stair connects the pavilion to the studios below. Visitors can access the pavilion secretly from below climbing up inside without having to access the open rooftop itself.”

puparchitects.com

Ethical insurance

The ETA has been voted Britain's most ethical insurance company 2017.

The Good Shopping Guide each year reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly of the world’s companies and brands, with a view to supporting the growth of social responsibility and ethical business as well as a more sustainable, just society.

Beating household-name insurance companies such as John Lewis and the Co-op, we earned an ethical company index score of 89 – earning us joint-first place with Naturesave.

Your Journey Our world

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Twenty seven years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance, travel insurance and breakdown cover  while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

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