Rockwool, the world's largest producer of stonewool insulation, is sponsoring this year's 'Architect in the House' scheme, run in partnership by Shelter and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), which aims to raise thousands of pounds to support the housing and homelessness charity’s vital work.

The 'Architect in the House' scheme sees architects donating a series of one hour consultations to homeowners, who in turn make a suggested £40 donation to Shelter in exchange for the architect’s advice.

Shelter and the RIBA hope that over 1,000 architects will volunteer their time for this year's campaign, and provide around 13,000 free consultations for homeowners across the country.

Rockwool was a contributing sponsor to the 2011 Architect in the House programme but has taken the lead sponsorship this year in recognition of the success the initiative had in both raising funds for Shelter and introducing homeowners to the benefits of using an architect to advise on improvements to their home. Last year’s event raised more than £110,000 for Shelter.


Rockwool's sustainable insulation is used by homes and businesses to boost energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions by cladding lofts, walls and partitions with highly thermally-efficient stone wool. The material also provides acoustic insulation in homes and plays an essential role in providing built-in fire protection in buildings.

The company has run a series of campaigns to educate consumers about the role insulation can play in cutting fuel bills and improving energy efficiency in homes, in an effort to help those in fuel poverty.

The 'Architect in the House' sponsorship builds on this work and provides a platform for Rockwool to explain, to a wider audience, the benefits of insulation in cutting energy costs.

As part of this work Rockwool is providing all architects taking part in the 2012 'Architect in the House' programme with a Green Deal brochure outlining the opportunities that the initiative could bring to them and their clients.

The Green Deal is a Government initiative that will see homeowners being provided with low cost loans to improve energy efficiency and the environmental performance of their homes, and Rockwool is encouraging Britons to learn more and see how the initiative could help improve their own property and cut household bills.

Paula Bateman, Corporate Affairs Director at Rockwool stated: "Shelter and RIBAs 'Architect in the House' campaign has been a great success and helped made a significant contribution to Shelter’s work for the homeless and those living in poor housing.

"The Architect in the House programme fits closely with Rockwool's on-going objective to create warm, energy efficient environments that are cheap to heat to help improve quality of life and housing conditions.

"We are proud to be the lead sponsor of the Architect in the House programme and we encourage people to sign up to get the best advice and to help Shelter raise as much as possible."