DCH has a long history of working with non‑standard construction methods, particularly those with ecological benefits. The story of DCH’s journey into eco‑friendly building begins in the late 1990s, with a project that required the team to look back to medieval craftsmanship.
In 1997, DCH completed a new café and visitor centre at Cressing Temple Barns, a historic site containing Grade I and II listed timber‑framed barns. The project was politically sensitive: Essex County Council faced resistance to erecting a new timber‑framed building within such a protected setting.
One example of the challenges involved was the brickwork. Handmade bricks from Bulmer Brick & Tile Company were selected to match the medieval barns, but their natural lack of uniformity required a different approach from modern factory‑made bricks. The team adapted quickly, managing both the technical demands and the political sensitivities to deliver a complex and highly scrutinised project, which led to the team being chosen to to work on The Centre for Disability Studies (below).
By 2002, DCH’s interest in ecological materials had grown. Working with Modece Architects, the team helped deliver the UK’s first HempCrete houses in Haverhill, Suffolk. Two HempCrete homes were built alongside traditionally constructed houses as part of a project sponsored by Suffolk Housing Society in collaboration with the Building Research Establishment (BRE).
HempCrete - a mix of hemp and hydraulic lime - was tamped into shuttering to form the external walls and floor. BRE’s research found that the HempCrete houses performed similarly to the conventional cavity‑wall homes on the site in both structural and thermal terms. The project has since been widely cited in studies and histories of HempCrete.
“The message is clear: built right, hempcrete is an energy efficient, low carbon, structurally sound method of construction. But what about the cost? The hempcrete houses built at Haverhill in 2001 cost £526 per square metre, compared to £478 for the cavity wall homes.” – passivehouseplus.co.uk
Through this project, the team learned how best to work with the material - insights that informed later HempCrete builds and revealed potential cost‑saving opportunities.
Having seen DCH’s work at Cressing Temple Barns, eco‑building specialists Simmonds Mills partnered with the team on the Centre for Disability Studies in Rochford, Essex. Like Cressing Temple, the project required close collaboration, but this time the challenge was to eliminate the need for traditional, energy‑heavy heating systems. Procurement followed an open‑book approach.
The building used a super‑insulated timber frame, meticulous airtightness detailing, and a simplified form to minimise thermal bridges (areas where heat can escape). Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) was installed to maintain airtightness, improve energy efficiency, and provide consistent indoor comfort. This dramatically reduced running costs for the charity.
The Centre became one of the first non‑domestic Passivhaus projects in the UK. It also met BREEAM Excellent standards and won the Regional Environment Excellence Award in 2010.
“The building is an exemplar of Passivhaus design, one of only 7 buildings currently certified to this standard in the UK.” – simmondsmills.com
DCH’s interest in ecological construction continued with Millfield, an “exemplar” affordable housing scheme commissioned by Hastoe Housing Association. Four affordable rental homes were built in High Ongar, Essex, using load‑bearing straw‑bale walls fixed with wooden pegs and finished with lime render.
A member of the DCH team personally visited the Williams Brothers farm to agree a weight per bale and arrange delivery directly to site. The team then worked closely with the local authority and building control to ensure the unconventional construction method met building regulations.
“The residents will benefit from fuel costs around 85% cheaper than the average costs for heating similar homes of traditional construction.” – construction.co.uk
In 2016, DCH became the main contractor for Wimbish Housing II, an affordable Passivhaus development for Hastoe Housing Association, working again with architects Parsons + Whittley. Situated in rural Essex, the scheme comprised 11 homes built to Passivhaus standards - eight affordable homes for local people and three for open‑market sale.
Meeting Passivhaus standards was still rare at the time. Wimbish II became widely referenced in academic studies, policy documents, and industry talks. As a repeat scheme, it demonstrated scalability, and the client published performance data to support sector learning.
“An ongoing evaluation of Wimbish 1 by the Technology Strategy Board, and the University of East Anglia, has shown that most residents are using 90% less energy to heat their homes relative to building regulations, and have average heating bills of just £120 a year.” – passivehouseplus.co.uk
Across these projects - from medieval‑inspired brickwork to pioneering HempCrete, straw bale construction, and award‑winning Passivhaus design - DCH has consistently embraced new methods that deliver environmental benefit, technical excellence, and long‑term value for communities.
We continue to take on projects that meet or exceed the latest sustainable building standards. For example our recent award-winning Passivhaus project.
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