Suffolk unveils Home of the Future at Martlesham BT park

Designed by architecture students at the University of Suffolk, this two-storey building in BT’s Adastral Park, Martlesham, aims to produce as little carbon footprint as possible, while still being a home that can be comfortably lived in. 

Professor Newport said that after Christmas, he hopes that the 'smart house' can be used as a functional living and working space. Credit: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)

The aim of this project was to create a home that was as sustainable as possible, whilst still being a home that could be comfortably lived in. Credit: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)

At first glance, the house does not seem to be the hub of technology some might expect.

“Some people will look around the Smart House, and say they can’t see anything,” said Professor Darryl Newport, professor of energy and sustainable development at the University of Suffolk. 

“But that is the idea – it's mostly invisible. It’s a living laboratory, but also a home.” 

The building has been made from mostly natural materials like wood and hemp, whose production does not produce carbon, unlike concrete and cement. 

Sensors inside and outside communicate with each other to calculate the ideal temperature for the house.

Air sensors monitor the levels of humidity, to prevent the property from becoming damp, while motion sensors can detect how many people are in the home, and whether they are moving about.  

The smart house is fully equipped with a kitchen and bathroom. It is also accessible to people with disabilities, with ramps an adapted bathroom and wide door frames. Credit: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)

The smart house is a two-storey building, with a work space upstairs which can be used as a bedroom. Credit: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)

The smart house's sensors could be used in the future to help elderly people remain in their own homes for as long as they can. Credit: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)

In the future, this technology could be used to support wellbeing, as well as addressing climate change and the shortage of affordable homes. 

Elderly people who wish to remain in their own homes, Professor Newport said, might benefit from these sensors. 

“For example, if you have an elderly mother, you might get a notification on your phone to tell you she hasn’t used her washing machine when you know she usually does her washing every Wednesday,” he explained. 

“The idea is testing, to see how these systems might be used in the future.” 

As this beam shows, parts of this house have been assembled in the manner of a jigsaw. This means that homes of this kind can be built faster than regular homes, but can also be easily dissembled when owners need them to be. For example, a couple whose children have grown up and left home might choose to scale back their five-bedroom home to a two-bedroom home. Credit: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)

Professor Newport explained that keys would not be needed for this home, which utilised an eye, hand an thumb scanning system. Credit: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)

The University of Suffolk has partnered on this ambitious project with BT and the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership. 

It coincides with the launch of the Suffolk Sustainability Institute, a new research institute at the university of which Professor Newport is director. 

Lisa Perkins is the Adastral Park and Research Realisation Director at BT.  

She said: “The Smart House is another opportunity that we have co-launched which will enable exciting research into sustainability linked with smart technology.  

“We are excited to see what further purposeful solutions may come from this.”