Rotpunkt, a leading designer and manufacturer, of German kitchen furniture, is supporting the luxury kitchen showroom, John Willox Design in taking a low carbon approach to home architecture as it recently completes a sustainable newbuild property on a site previously used as farmland.

Together with Mr Ryan Urquhart, the homeowner and architect on this project, former agricultural land has been sensitively repurposed into a modern newbuild property that promotes the use of renewable energy sources and the virtues of low carbon living.

Joanna Dereniowska, showroom manager at John Willox Design explains, “For me, this has been a highlight of my design career to date, given the huge importance of green living and how society is making changes to help protect the environment. We knew they wanted a modern, industrial-style kitchen with an emphasis on low-carbon products to help both home and daily life run more efficiently. Our go-to climate friendly furniture of choice is by Rotpunkt, and we recommended the Zerox FM door in Carbon: a fine matt dark grey finish. Plus, standard features include a range of integrated LED light options, which are compatible with today’s smart home systems so the homeowner can fully automate the property to further optimise the homes energy consumption.”

Matt Phillips, head of UK operations, Rotpunkt says, “Mindful consumerism continues to be a priority for anyone seeking to make a difference and address climate change in the home, with big ticket items like the kitchen helping to reduce environmental impact and promote a greener way of life. I think this project shows that you can now be design-forward while being kind to the planet, reducing a property’s carbon footprint without compromising on style and performance. Our climate-friendly furniture is just one element of this low-carbon home that is sustainable by design, and we are blown away by the attention to detail and specialist understanding shown once again by Joanna and the team at John Willox Design.”

The kitchen & its eco-credentials:

• FURNITURE – Rotpunkt Zerox FM Furniture in Carbon finish, handleless / slab doors & drawers: Rotpunkt climate-friendly furniture, made of BioBoard Gen2 ethically furnished the main kitchen living space. Home products made from sustainable materials have a much longer lifespan, so the Rotpunkt kitchen has helped reduce this home’s overall carbon footprint, as well as benefit from the re-use and recycling of materials.
• SURFACES – Dekton in Trilium 20mm worktops: Trilium offers a mixture of colours inspired by volcanic stones and the intensity of black and grey. Created with up to 80% recycled material, Trilium was the first ecological colour available by Dekton for a truly environmentally friendly industrial look.
• APPLIANCES – All A+ minimum Energy Ratings: B17CR32N1B Neff Single oven, C1AMG83N0B Neff combination microwave, N1AHA01N0B Neff warming drawer, T48FD23X2 Neff induction hob, MDI700 Montpelier dishwasher, MITL320 Montpelier tall integrated fridge, MBUF300 Montpelier built under freezer & Miro Sense 360 ceiling hood in Black
• TAPS – Quooker Fusion Square boiling water tap in Chrome: This boiling hot water tap offers everything from one tap – boiling, hot and cold water. This tap runs from a boiler under the sink, which maintains a constant temperature = far less energy consumption and water usage when compared to a frequently boiled. Plus over time, you can upgrade the tap to also dispense chilled sparkling water by combining the Fusion with a Quooker CUBE.
• FLOORING – Karndean LooseLay Hudson LLP99 flooring, made using a mix of high-quality 100% virgin PVC and recycled PVC, which is manufactured using salt: a sustainable resource.

Kitchen cost £25,000+vat (supply only)

This former brownfield site was constructed as sustainably as possible to create a green living environment that lends itself to a low-carbon lifestyle. From repurposing old concepts and preserving existing architectural elements to the introduction of climate-friendly materials and energy-saving product solutions, this home is green to the core. The inclusion of an air-source heat pump provides an efficient heat and hot water system, and when combined with the Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery system, the entire home benefits from a constant supply of fresh air that is warmed and circulated as needed. The property’s Insulated Concrete Formwork also provides complete thermal insulation to the walls of the finished building to achieve an overall air tightness of 2.67 W/m2K.

For optimum control, efficiency levels and solar gains, this low-carbon smart home provides automation of the heating, lighting and blinds, which over time will start to work intuitively by becoming attuned to the home’s day to day behaviour. The blinds will react to the time of day and/or weather, the heating can be controlled remotely or via an App, and the lights are fitted with specialist dimmers enabling the bulb to run at 85% capacity without impact to room visibility.