Supported by Merton Council housing department, Bob Harris, a lecturer of ecological construction at Richmond Upon Thames College, has been working on the development of a new technology based on the use of ground source heat pumps. This technology is widely used in the US (with approximately 400,000 systems already in place) but is somewhat rare in the UK where the application of this technology only reaches 200/250 systems. Ground Source Heating Pumps (GSHP) utilise the earths constant temperature to exchange energy between the home and the earth as needed for heating and cooling.

Marvin Architectural supported Bob Harris in his strive for the ultimate eco-friendly development. Bob Harris says "I wanted to use the best of contemporary materials available in the 21^st century".

The Earthdome development has recently won the award for the London region of the Master Builder of the Year 2005 in Energy Efficiency.

Thermally efficient windows and doors not only help reduce energy use, they provide value by reducing heating and cooling costs. The energy-efficient glazing systems used by Marvin are state of the art. All Marvin products use Softcoat Low EII with Argon gas filled glazing, which has several benefits including energy savings, improved comfort, reduced condensation, increased light and view, reduced fading and lower heating, ventilation and air conditioning costs.

Bob Harris chose to invest in Marvin's aluminium clad composite windows and doors and when asked why he chose Marvin he said "No other company offered this type of window". The incredible durability of Marvin's extruded aluminium coating along with a Kynar finish provides the highest commercial grade finish available in the marketplace as a standard on all windows and doors. This provides one of the most durable finishes available - ensuring a long-life expectancy and resistance to environmental conditions second to none. This ageless quality of the longest lasting windows and doors available in the marketplace means a reduction in the number of replacement windows produced well into the future, providing further savings on our natural resources.

Resolution: The fact that Marvin are constantly trying to protect our environment by meeting and exceeding environmental laws also swayed Bob Harris's choice. The furniture grade quality of the timber interiors used in Marvin products are supplied by companies which adhere to the sustainable forest initiative (SFI). Marvin also extensively recycles and reuses its wood by finger-jointing and edge gluing and even uses its wood shavings to heat its Minnesota factory. This commitment is fulfilled by incorporating environmental priorities into the design of products, services and facilities and by minimizing the environmental impact during the production of products and manufacturing operations.

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Four Eco-friendly Flats in South London

Preserving and conserving energy, thus increasing the energy efficiency
of the building. Use of only environmentally friendly products and sources.

Dyer Brown Associates UK Ltd

Structuretone Ltd