Two designs by Keppie have been selected to be part of The Highland Housing Fair, a demonstration project for sustainable housing to be constructed at Balvonie Braes on the southern outskirts of Inverness. The development will provide 53 dwellings in a mix of house types and will be completed in time for the opening of the fair in 2009.

The project is the brainchild of Highland Housing Alliance (HHA), a not-for-profit development company set up by Highland Council to build both affordable and private houses for people in the Highlands. Following a masterplanning exercise, an open competition was organised by the RIAS in which architects were challenged to produce designs for a variety of house types that tackle sustainability issues.  The successful entries are located in the carbon neutral zone and the wood fuel and micro-renewable zone.

As Lindsay Allan of Keppie’s Inverness office explains, “Keppie’s designs feature highly insulated external envelopes, airtight construction, low carbon emissions, minimal water consumption, the use of appropriately sourced sustainable materials and the collection of rainwater for irrigation. A preliminary EcoHomes assessment demonstrates that an ‘excellent’ rating could be achieved with the design and specification proposed.”

The competition winners were announced at an awards ceremony held in Great Glen House, Inverness, on 5 June. Winners will now partner with a builder-developer to complete the design and construction work. The fair will be open to the public during the summer of 2009, after which the properties will be sold and occupied.

Architects working in Keppie’s Inverness, Edinburgh, Perth and Belfast offices contributed to the design work for this project, pooling their knowledge of sustainable design and government policy. “We all benefited from the exchange of ideas,” says Lindsay Allan. “Our recent investment in videoconferencing technology also proved its value, as we can now communicate easily and effectively without the need to spend many hours travelling.”