Brenda and Robert Vale

Professor Brenda Vale and Doctor Robert Vale are architects, writers, pioneer researchers and leading experts in the field of sustainable housing. [cite book |last= Vale |first= Brenda and Robert |authorlink= Brenda and Robert Vale |title= The New Autonomous House|year= 2000|publisher= Thames & Hudson Ltd|location= London |isbn=0-500-34176-1 .]

After studying architecture together at the University of Cambridge, in 1975 the Vales published "The Autonomous House", a technical guide for developing housing solutions that are energy-self-sufficient, environmentally friendly, relatively easy to maintain, and have a traditional appearance. The book has been translated into five languages and is widely recognized as a basic text in the field of green building.

Through the 1980s the Vales designed a number of commercial buildings in England, notably the thick-walled, superinsulated Woodhouse Medical Centre in Sheffield.

In the 1990s the Vales completed two important green building projects in Nottinghamshire: the first in 1993, the first autonomous building in the United Kingdom, a four-bedroom house for themselves in the historic town of Southwell. Their book "The New Autonomous House" documents the design and construction of this house, which is warmed and powered by the sun, produces its drinking water from rain, composts its effluent, and is consistent with its historic context. The house is completely off-grid except for the telephone line and a connection to the electrical supply. The latter supplies power from the grid when the occupants are using more electricity than is being produced by the solar panels mounted behind the house, and exports at times of surplus generation.

The other is the Hockerton Housing Project, five one-story residential units using the same design tactic of thick walls, thermal mass, and superinsulation. The local housing authority now plans, as part of its official policy, for a hundred autonomous houses to be built in the area by the end of the century. {Reference needed!!}

The Vales emigrated to Waiheke Island near Auckland, New Zealand in 1996, taking jobs at the University of Auckland. Brenda Vale is currently a research fellow at Victoria University of Wellington.

Commissioned by the Australian government, they have developed a unique building rating system called NABERS which measures the ongoing environmental impact of existing buildings. According to Brenda, this is their most important work.

References

ee also

*autonomous building
*green building
*sustainability

External links

* [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/earth/handouts/ukvillage.htm Description and photos of Southwell and the Hockerton Housing Project]
* [http://www.nabers.com.au/ the NABERS rating system]