An eco-friendly building design has won a national award for a company in Long Melford, near Sudburywhich its founder hopes will see the concept spread more widely.
Construction concept company Mbloc, based at Mayflower Hall on Hall Street, has been named a Champion of Construction and the Built Environment at the 2024 Good Small Business Awards.
The award, which recognises the outstanding impact on sustainability in the construction industry, was in honour of the company’s unique construction concept, aimed at minimising the impact on the planet.
Mbloc’s methods were previously featured during an episode of the popular Channel 4 show Great designs in 2019.
Founder and director Darren Howard, who also runs Long Melford-based Maple Building Services, said his aim was to create a new, more efficient system for construction.
“I’ve been working on this for almost 10 years,” he said. “It’s great to finally get recognition, for people to understand it and say ‘this is what we should do.’”
“As we are a modern concept, I think it needs more national recognition because it is still new.
“For us, it’s as much about educating people about design as it is about selling it, because if people don’t understand it, they tend to go back to what they know.
“The whole concept could be implemented not only in the UK, but worldwide, because the necessary materials are widely available.”
As demonstrated by its Sudbury model home, Mbloc uses steel frames and wood panels, rather than traditional bricks and mortar, to achieve a simplified, energy-efficient design.
The idea is to speed up construction time and keep the property’s operating costs low for the long-term occupant, while reducing its carbon footprint.
Mr Howard, a 40-year veteran of the construction industry, said the design follows the principle of “build simpler to build faster”.
He said this was particularly important at a time when homebuilding targets were demanding and the industry was facing a shortage of skilled craftsmen.
“I’ve eliminated the high-end carbon producers, so the houses are built in a much more efficient way,” Howard said.
“Given the energy crisis we have had in this country over the last few years, we want to be more profitable because energy prices are not going down.
“Not everyone can afford to spend £15,000-£20,000 on renewable energy for their home or they may not be in the right location to generate what they need.
“We have our pilot house in Sudbury and I have been collecting data for the last eight years to demonstrate how efficient it is.
“The concept I have come up with is like a thermos: if you heat it or cool it, the house conserves it. It is maximum efficiency.”