Airey house

Designed by Sir Edwin Airey to the Ministry of Works Emergency Factory Made housing programme, it features a frame of prefabricated concrete columns reinforced with tubing recycled from the canvas tilt frames of military trucks.

A series of shiplap style concrete panels, tied back to the columns, form the external envelope.

[1] In 1947, the Central Office of Information commissioned a propaganda film, Country Homes.

The directoral debut of the later acclaimed documentary maker Paul Dickson, the film promotes the building of Airey houses in rural areas as a solution to the poor condition (due to the 1930s depression followed by wartime neglect) of much of the housing stock outside Britain's conurbations, due to the ease with which the prefabricated sections could be transported to remote locations.

It is hoped this remodel will result in a warmer and more structurally sound house.

Airey Houses in Harthill, South Yorkshire , showing the original shiplap panels
Unrefurbished (left) and refurbished (right) Airey houses in Sicklinghall , North Yorkshire . Note the increased thickness of the insulation and new cladding on the refurbished house.