Beddington Zero Energy Development – or BedZED – is an ambitious eco-friendly mixed-use project in south London, designed by Bill Dunster Architects for the Peabody Trust and Bioregional, completed in 2002 and shortlisted for the Stirling Prize. Its radical carbon-zero objective – the first large-scale development of its kind to have such a mission – creates many benefits for its residents, including lower energy bills and ample greenery, while its well-designed living spaces and strong sense of community have made it a touchstone for subsequent sustainably-minded developments.

Joe Watson fell in love with the development and bought a double-height maisonette there in 2013. He has since been joined by Clementine and their two young children, and the family have overseen renovations that have turned their home into a beautiful and practical space true to the architect’s original vision. Now, as their home comes to the market, Joe and Clementine reflect on how living at BedZED enabled them to live a more environmentally conscious way.

Joe: “I’ve been here for eight years or thereabouts. Then Clem moved in about three years ago. My parents built their own eco-friendly home back in 2004, just after BedZED was finished, and they incorporated a lot of the technology that BedZED had used, which is how I became aware of it.

“Almost all of the major works done on the house have been completed in the past three years. Perhaps unbelievably, my 70-something-year-old dad and I did all of the demolition work, which was a painstaking process of understanding all the DIY work that previous residents had undertaken, and very carefully stripping it back to reveal the architect’s original intentions. We then made our own considered additions, which was where Emiliano Malferrari’s inspired eye for design and his love of ply were such a perfect match for the BedZED ethos and aesthetic.

“Our home has a large central living space with a double-height section with skylights above. We worked with a brilliant designer-makers, Emiliano Malferrari and Sam Haddow, who created this incredible plywood bookcase division between the central space and what became a bedroom and a separate study; later a nursery.

“The whole point is about allowing flow between the upstairs and downstairs, to make sure that heat and light can circulate through the whole space. So having taken away all the interventions, we wanted to make sure we were really sensitive to the original vision and that we built in ways so the air could circulate. The windows along the top of the plywood bookcase – they all open – allow light and heat to flow.

“This place has quite a lot going on in terms of materials – one of the aims in its construction was to use local materials, sourced within 35 miles wherever possible. We have a lot of walls that are bare breeze block and that’s because plasterboard does all sorts of damage to the environment. All the girders were recycled from other projects and there’s beautiful wood cladding outside that references the local vernacular. I think that there is something very special about BedZED because it’s a product of modernity and the Modern Movement while at the same time a product of the Arts and Crafts Movement and the Garden City Movement.

“It’s the most magical place, because there is so much glass – what the weather is doing on any given day makes an enormous difference. There’s an incredible connection with the outside.”

Clementine: “We now use the mezzanine as a kind of snug, but originally that would have been the bedroom. I love lying on the sofa looking through the skylights and seeing birds sitting on top of the wind cowls.”

Joe: “The large communal garden is less than 10 metres from our front door. A group of green-fingered residents have turned a simple field into a really well-used space. There’s a communal allotment, focused on some large troughs, and a central herb garden, with residents growing food that is often shared or used for the BedZED café.

“There’s not very much that we have bought specifically for this place. Before I came here I was working for the National Trust and living in one of their houses. At the same time, I was the curator of 2 Willow Road, Ernö Goldfinger’s house in Hampstead, which was a very important inspiration. It’s very beautiful and although it’s a modernist house it has incredibly warm interiors. Goldfinger used lots of wonderful colours, red in particular, so some of the red we’ve used in this place was inspired by him.”

Clementine: “Some of the artwork and pieces of furniture came from Christoph Bon, one of the architects of the Barbican, who was a family friend – they are real treasures of mine. And some of the artwork is done by my dad, who’s an artist. My parents live in what was Bon’s house in the south of France, which is a very special place. So that’s influenced the way we’ve put this place together. The main table is from the house I grew up in in Dorset – it tells a lot of tales.”

Joe: “I think that these twin impulses – modern design and environmental concerns – have played substantial parts in what both of us have brought to the table.”

Clementine: “Christoph Bon always used to say when you arrived in the house in France, ‘Let the house wrap itself around you.’”

Joe: “We like that as a philosophy – there’s something about a brilliantly designed house that should make you feel as though you are fully ensconced in it. It comes back to the really basic idea that a home is shelter. When you think about the challenges the world is facing, there is something profound in that ethos of a home communicating a way of life and trying to support you in living that life. It’s certainly something we’ve aspired to in the decisions we’ve made here –  the house has supported us in living a less environmentally impactful life on the planet.”

A parting word from Sue Riddlestone OBE, co-founder and CEO of Bioregional, and BedZED resident

“BedZED eco-village is so much more than zero-carbon homes. We designed it to make it easy for people to live a sustainable lifestyle, and the layout, which focuses on people and not cars, means that you meet your neighbours as you are out and about, and the kids can safely go out to play. It’s simply a great place to live.

“When we initiated the project over 20 years ago, we had a fabulous team, with Bill Dunster Architects and Peabody, and we just wanted to make it the best that we could. It turned out brilliantly, and then many people came to us, asking if we could help them recreate their own BedZED. This led to the Bioregional team drawing on the strategies we implemented in BedZED to create the One Planet Living framework, which anyone can use for their home, their company or their life. So today, there are lots of great sustainable communities and initiatives around the world inspired by BedZED, including the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. But for me of course, having lived here for 20 years now, there is still nowhere quite like the original BedZED!”