Leeds, UK - 2011

Status: Existing

LILAC Co-Housing Project began with a group of ordinary people who needed homes. They wanted to be able to live well on local wages, in comfortable homes that didn’t waste resources or damage the environment. So, they need to buy a plot of land together and, by consensus, see to the financing, design, construction and management of their own community. Finally, they bought 1.7 acres that had previously been an old school site from Leeds County Council. Twenty households were planned, complete with allotments and some other shared facilities.

The project has its beginnings with an idea back in 2006. “We had a vision to build our own homes” recalls Paul Chatterton, a founder member of LILAC. They officially formed as a co-op with a grant of £4,000 from UnLtd in 2009.

Low Impact Living was a priority in this project. The houses were built from a modern pre fabricated system with very high levels of insulation and they used local materials including straw bales. Windows were all triple glazed and a ventilation heat recovery system circulates fresh air without heat loss.
This community led housing development has been hailed as a new model for building in the UK, because it meets the environmental, social and economic challenges of climate change, affordable provision and costs that balance with a local income/economy. A one bed flat costs £88,000 with minimal day to day living costs due to shared facilities and superinsulation.

The architects have included monitoring sensors to provide a warning in case moisture should accidentally get into the straw. The dwellings include family houses, flats and a common house. There is also solar hot water and PV. Water collection and usage is combined with a sustainable drainage system.