Project Brief: The construction of 11 new zero carbon dwellings on Colonsay, which will be the first carbon neutral proposal for this island and is therefore an important step towards sustainable development for the future in a remote community. The cost of importing materials on the ferry is high, and importing specialist labour from the mainland is also expensive due to travel costs; therefore a prefabrication strategy has been proposed. The aim is to fabricate the houses (subdivided in 4/5 transportable modules) off-site, helping to achieve greater economy and higher standards of detailed specification, air tightness and therefore reduced carbon footprint. From the energy use point of view the proposed houses follow the 'Passive House' model. * They will be very highly insulated and air-tight. * Have have openings primarily to the south to make use of solar gains, and very few openings to the north. * A heat recovery system allows fresh air exchange with little energy loss. * Solar thermal panels provide domestic hot water, and a very small heat pump provides back-up for space heating and hot water in extreme conditions ( such as when there is no solar radiation).