With house prices showing no signs of deflating, first time buyers across the UK will be elated to hear of a property costing just £300 situated in the heart of Birmingham’s city centre.

As part of the Festival of Xtreme Building (FXB), a four month project which concludes at the end of September, curator Dave Pollard will build a structure that is not only habitable but also has a zero-carbon footprint, for under £300 – predominantly from soil.

The Mud House will sit next to the micro-compact home (m-ch), a 2.65m aluminium cube, to illustrate the different solutions touted to answer the UK’s current housing crisis. However, the buildings have very different price tags: £30,000 for the m-ch compared to just £300 for the Mud House.

Dave Pollard comments: “The Mud House will be constructed using locally-gathered soil which has been compressed into bricks, meaning that it has a zero carbon footprint. The aim of the project is to demonstrate to both self-builders and developers that such materials can be used in construction, with great benefits to the environment.”

Using a Simba Ram machine purchased from Rodney King, Pollard’s mentor and the man who initially came up with the concept of building a house for £100 over 20 years ago, soil will be compressed into bricks on site. Roof tiles made from recycled rubber tyres and a grass roof will complete the project.

Pollard is building the extreme structure in partnership with a number of local companies including Whitby Bird. Following its recent amalgamation with Danish Project Developers Ramboll, the company was looking for a responsible method of disposing of its now out-of-date branded literature. Incorporating it into insulation panels for the £300 house provided the perfect solution whilst at the same time reiterating the company’s commitment to sustainability. Associated Architects is responsible for designing the interior of the structure.

Weather permitting, the project is expected to be completed in time for the festival’s finale at the end of September. Since its launch, the FXB has showcased a number of installations at its site in front of the Albert Street Car Park, considered the gateway to Birmingham’s Eastside, including a Paper House and a shrine to Bollywood legend Mohammed Rafi. However, Pollard is confident that they have saved the best until last:

“Our £300 house raises questions about how we can turn waste into energy, and to what extent the domestic building process can be reclaimed by the ordinary man in the street.”

The festival aims to shine an international spotlight on the £6bn regeneration of Eastside, using a stream of internationally renowned architects, professional building developers and designers to engage and support local residents during the evolution of their new urban environment.

Since its launch in June, the festival has created a visible exhibition platform for the design aspirations of the citizens of the city working together with, and supported by, professional practitioners. The result will be a temporary parallel city that captures a snap shot of the cultural landscape of Birmingham in 2007 in an effort to engage the public in the regeneration and create a sense of pride and ownership in the community.

With entry to the festival completely free, the extreme buildings and works of art will make for an entertaining, not to mention educational, day out for families and schoolchildren. And visitors to the site will be given the opportunity to explore the buildings; a vast contrast to the usual encounters of such projects through DIY or home magazines.

For more information and to find out how you can get involved, visit www.festivalxtremebuilding.org.uk

The FXB is supported by Birmingham City Council, Arts Council, Arts and Business, European Regional Development Fund and Advantage West Midlands.

Email: Rebecca.Wallace@europe.mccann.com