Simon Dale, Tony Wrench and Paul Wimbush about Lammas Ecovillage in Wales, UK
Lammas, the UK’s first planned Ecovillage. Lammas is a project which began as a fireside chat (as so many do!). Fortunately, around the fire were some of the most capable and determined low impact pioneers in the world. Tony Wrench had built a low impact roundhouse which has come to define low impact living in the UK. Paul Wimbush had been living in low impact communities for most of his adult life and was ready to create a blueprint from what he had learned.
The houses at Lammas use low-impact architecture with a combination of recycled and natural materials. The project is essentially a self-build affair, where nine families have 5 acres on which to build a family home, a workshop/shed and animal shelters. There are a combination of building styles including straw bale, earth sheltered, timber frame and cob. The houses feature the latest environmental technologies and design techniques. The dwellings blend into the landscape. Indeed they are largely made from elements of the landscape (for example turf roofs, cob walls, timber cladding).
