Earth Dome, Merton, London

The Earth Dome is a pioneering housing project which uses thermal mass technology based on ground source heat pumps to provide domestic heating. This is a technology which takes heat from the ground and boosts it using thermal mass technology to provide comfortable living space heating. It is a well-known technology in some countries already - in the States there are 400,000 installations, but in the UK still less than 200.

The project has been developed by ecologist Robert Harris, with support from Merton Council and Kingston University. The project is also being supported by a number of commercial sponsors who include Johnson Tiles, Building Adhesives and tiling contractor WB Simpson & Sons. The project had a high profile opening, has already received  number of awards and has featured on Radio 4's consumer affairs show You & Yours. A feature on ITV is also expected this spring.

The initial installation is in a new-build project of four flats, which are London's first domestic buildings to have hot water and heating supplied from natural ground heat.

The wall and floor tiling is a key component of the project, since a major part of the operation is to build up the thermal mass of the building. The tiles are a great medium for the distribution of the low-grade heat from the ground into the building.

Kerastar porcelain tiles are being laid on an anhydrite screed which, in keeping with the ethos of the building, contains waste materials. In some areas of the building, such as the bathroom and kitchen, thicker floor tiles are actually to be used on the walls to further enhance thermal mass. The adhesives used are BAL Rapidset Flexible and BAL PTB Flexible and the grout used is BAL Superflex Widejoint Grout.

The system is designed to produce radiant healthy heat. This allows healthy fresh air to pass throughout the building, which creates an invigorating internal environment. One in four children in London now suffer with asthma. Robert Harris believes this may in part may be due to the toxic home environments that we have been creating in our homes.

The tiles give an allergy-free environment, which is easily cleaned. The adhesives and the grout form an important component of this symbiotic thermal mass floor covering. The tiling is an integral element of building up the thermal mass of the structure and is key to taking this ‘green' building technology forward. This fact is a feature which deserves recognition and support by the tiling industry.

Back to Case Studies