vivid green the company

Vivid Green was established in May 2006 to design buildings which have long term benefits for the environment and provide space which is easy and comfortable to live with - ranging from garden offices and garden rooms to extensions, conversions and larger, commercial premises.

Southern side of The Penthouse garden office under construction
Energy is the primary issue here and energy demand from buildings accounts for approx. 40% of the energy used in the UK. Residential and commercial buildings are still constructed with minimal insulation, modest double glazing, inefficient heating systems and air conditioning (used, on average for 6 weeks of the year in the South of England!).

At the other extreme, buildings can and are designed with little if any heating or cooling, relying instead on high levels of insulation, airtight construction, orientation of windows to the South plus shading for the Summer, substantial thermal mass and efficient ventilation systems with heat recovery.

Initially, the challenge was to see if these low impact, low energy concepts could be successfully applied to a smaller structures. To guide our choices, we developed a set of design principles:

  • Built to last, built for living (space for life)
  • High level of comfort: cool in Summer, warm in Winter plus controllable ventilation
  • Materials, textures and colours which are tactile, textural and inspire.

In order to minimise energy demand and environmental impact, we additionally adopted these principles:

  • Maximum use of passive solar gain plus shading in summer
  • High levels of thermal and noise insulation
  • Minimal waste of materials.

Complex trade offs quickly became apparent but we opted for a pragmatic approach and a further overarching principle:

"However good the environmental performance of a material, the quality of the overall design and the aesthetics of the space were paramount."

The results are buildings which:

  • meet the requirements of the client
  • reflect and enhance the space in which they sit
  • are comfortable whatever the weather
  • are inspiring to be in and look at.

For further details on Vivid Green or our products please contact us by email at mail@vividgreen.co.uk, by phone on 07500 877700 / 01525 715964 or via the website.