House with curved roof, Crossway, Kent, England, UK.

Crossway is the UK's first example of a home using combination photovoltaic and thermal heating system and it has been installed alongside an 11kW biomass boiler to provide the home's heating and power needs. This zero carbon home includes recycled newspaper made into insulation and on-site water treatment . A majority of the curved roof is covered with earth, this aids insulation as well as helping to blend the house into the landscape. This large vaulted roof, spans 20m. Vaulting of this type was first seen in the 14th century and was known as Catalan vaulting. The vaulting gives strength to the house without the need for energy intensive materials eg reinforced concrete