b'Inacountrywherejust5-7%ofthe buildings are designed by architects, its a chance for us to reach a wider segment of the population and show what good design can do.The EcoSmart homes do cost more to buy but you are paying up front for the energy savings gained in years to come, says Bryce.There has been a latent appetite for this sort of productAbove and belowThe outdoor room sits beside the kitchen and Lockwoodhomesarealreadybuiltusingresponds to how we like to live today, and can be closed off on timberfromfast-growingplantationtreescooler days.whichabsorbmorecarbonthanslowerRightThe open-plan living area growingindigenousforests,saysBryce.stretches along the sunny northern face of the house while Harvesting plantations for solid wood, andservice rooms are on the cooler replanting provides the best environmentalsouthern side. outcome.Solidplantationtimberisa sustainablerenewablebuildingmaterial. People give a lot of thought to operational energy but not to capital energy. To produce wood takes a fraction of the energy footprint compared to smelted products like steel, says Bryce. Notonlydoeswoodtakelessenergyto produce,butalsoreleaseslessCO2than other building materials, such as steel and concrete, during manufacture, according to Lockwoodliterature.Woodbasedhomes can save around four tons of carbon dioxide, equal to the emissions of driving 22,000km, says the company. Lockwoodbeganin1951whenJoLa Grouw Snr created the innovative Lockwood BuildingSystem,inwhichthebuilding wallsarelockedtogether,notnailed.An engineeredaluminiumprofiledesignslots into the machined corners of solid laminated pine, locking the wood into position. 79'