Tan yr Ardd grade 2 listed cottage on the Plas yn Rhiw estate - in the very 'before' state.

Tan yr Ardd is a cottage on the flanks of Mynydd Rhiw over looking the spectacular Porth Neigwl (Hells Mouth bay) on the Llyn Peninsula. This listed crofting cottage (Tyddyn in Welsh) is about to under go a drastic upgrade to show what we can do with a listed building so that it can meet the challenges of what is needed to meet 2020 and 2050 carbon emission targets but working with its listed status and aesthetic characteristics. Various technologies will be employed including off building PV, biomass cooker / heater and insulated  with the latest approaches. We may get the watts per m2 really low on paper but the true test will be when the volunteer who will be living in it tests the ‘on paper’ theory in  a real life situation

Near Tan yr Ardd is a second cottage which will be restored as a C19 cottage to show the difference which will be quite dramatic. The Heritage lottery fund is funding the lions share of this work. The cottages were originally  built to both utilise what was available in the area to and a design which has been adapted to suit the climate and way of living of its time. Hope this is one you will follow as we learn . I will be undertaking some workshops later in the year to share the lessons and to open a dialogue around what we can do with this type of building specifically in the context of what’s happening in the world in terms of changes and impacts. We can’t simply approach this type of special  building in a business as usual manner if its to be usable and relevant in the future. As ever follow the blog