Brenda and Robert Vale

Who is Brenda and Robert Vale?

Professor Brenda Vale and Doctor Robert Vale are architects, writers, pioneer researchers, and experts in the field of sustainable housing.

After studying architecture together at the University of Cambridge, in 1975 the Vales published "The Autonomous House", a technical guide for developing housing solutions that are energy-self-sufficient, environmentally friendly, relatively easy to maintain, and have a traditional appearance. The book has been translated into five languages and is widely recognized as a basic text in the field of green building.

Through the 1980s the Vales designed a number of commercial buildings in England, notably the thick-walled, superinsulated Woodhouse Medical Centre in Sheffield.

In the 1990s the Vales completed two important green building projects in Nottinghamshire: the first in 1993, the first autonomous building in the United Kingdom, a four-bedroom house for themselves in the historic town of Southwell. Their book "The New Autonomous House" documents the design and construction of this house, which is warmed and powered by the sun, produces its drinking water from rain, composts its effluent, and is consistent with its historic context. The house is completely off-grid except for the telephone line and a connection to the electrical supply. The latter supplies power from the grid when the occupants are using more electricity than is being produced by the solar panels mounted behind the house, and exports at times of surplus generation.