Healthy, airy and bright with low running costs - our approach to the development of the environmental and services strategies for 42 houses and apartments on a greenfield site in Swindon.

The Triangle is the first completed project of Hab Oakus, a joint venture between the housing group Green Square and HAB, a company set up by Grand Designs' Kevin McCloud to create communities that are sustainable in the widest sense.

Our environmental concepts focused on minimising the energy demand of the homes whilst providing comfortable environments for the people living in them. Warm in the winter; cool and airy in the summer. Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery helps reduce heat loss and also helps reduce instances of asthma. The secure natural ventilation strategy uses the 'chimney' to vent hot air and keep the homes cool in the summer. The combination of thermal mass and hempcrete walls also help to moderate the internal environment.

The houses achieve Code for Sustainable Homes level 4 with the potential to retrofit PV's or solar thermal panels to reach level 5.