Last month Simon, Lisa, Melanie and I went on a tour of Leeds’ newest sustainable development - Greenhouse in Beeston. I was really excited about visiting the project as I wrote my dissertation on sustainability in residential buildings.

From first impressions, the building looked slightly abstract next to the other houses on the street and stood out like a sore thumb. The neighbouring brick houses looked out of date next to the Greenhouse, which is as new and modern as you’d expect a sustainable development to be.

However, we were taken by surprise when we stepped inside. Greenhouse Manager Jo began our tour by showing us some historic pictures in the foyer depicting the building’s three year transformation from a former a 1930's workers lodge which had been derelict for years - and in more recent years often inhabited by squatters- to a state of the art sustainable development.

The building had a lovely sense of nostalgia because some of the old brick, walls and openings were exposed. It was a mixture of old and new, and gave a good sense of how the building itself had been reworked instead of fully demolished and rebuilt. Much of the pipework and raw concrete from the new development was exposed, which gave it a slightly industrial feel but at the same time had a lot of warmth and modesty about it. Some of the water pipes were colour coded with informative text to show what type of water it was and what it was used for – fascinating stuff for anyone interested in sustainability.

We then went through to the open courtyard, which was very tranquil and had a real community feel about it with local residents and staff passing through, enjoying the surroundings. Reclaimed railway sleepers had been used to create large raised allotment beds which were tended by the ground floor offices. They have further allotments down the road which the residents tend, and the produce grown here is sold in the on-site deli.

Surrounding this courtyard are ground floor offices, most of which are occupied by creative businesses. It reminded me a little of The Custard Factory – the Arts and Media quarter in Digbeth which is based in a redeveloped derelict factory where they used to make Birds' custard.

The first floor had a large conference suite which could seat over 100 delegates. Hay bale seating and reclaimed door table tops added a really quirky, yet environmentally friendly touch, and the flexibility of the space gives it great potential for small to medium sized events.

Climbing further up the building, we took a tour of a three bedroom apartment which we were all wowed by! It had a gigantic L shaped balcony with views of the city, and we quickly realised how close to the city we were. Lisa and I had joked at first that we would be moving in to rent a property by the end of it - but we were really considering it now!! As you’d imagine with a sustainable development, there were a lot of renewable materials used in the interior such as bamboo flooring and worktops, locally-sourced furniture and A-rated kitchen appliances.

Wind turbines and solar panels on the roof provide the site with a supply of energy which means residents can potentially save up to 60% on their energy bills. Rain water is also collected here, recycled and used for flushing toilets 'saving up to 3 Olympic swimming pools of water being wasted a year'. Sensor operated lighting was used in the corridors to prevent any wasted electricity when not in use. The wall and door signage throughout the establishment is made out of recycled yoghurt pots.  Residents also have a personalised energy tracking system accessed via TV which enables to keep view of their energy consumption on a day to day basis.

With such an impressive list of innovative features, it’s easy to see why the Greenhouse is known to be one of Britain's greenest sustainable developments. 

Find out more at www.greenhouseleeds.co.uk