11:19am Tuesday 26th September 2006
By Andy Davey
LORD of the Rings hero Frodo Baggins would have felt right at home in an award-winning eco-home built into the side of a hill in North Dorset.
The two-storey, hobbit-friendly' house called the Rotunda is tucked under a 30ft acoustic earth bund next to the Blandford bypass, which was designed to deflect the sound of traffic away from the 130 homes on the new Bryanston Hills development.
Its Scandinavian grass roof consists of 1ft of soil surmounted with grass and bushes, similar to JR Tolkien's descriptions of Frodo's cosy home Bag End, which was bequeathed to him by his famous uncle Bilbo.
The hill is topped with a classical copular, made from Portland Stone, which mirrors the cupola at the nearby church of St Peter and St Paul.
Architects had always planned to build a feature on top of the bank, in Folley Lane, but decided to construct the £550,000 three-bed house underneath to better support the cupola, which sits on part of the roof made from 38mm thick glass.
Project manager Richard Sachs said: "Rotunda means circular, like many of the home's features, including the staircase and doors, which makes it feel like a lighthouse in some ways."
But unlike Frodo's home the Rotunda is fitted with a host of modern gadgets, including smart lights that can be programmed to go on and off when you walk in or out of a room, and can be switched on by a mobile telephone call.
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