TWO Cowdenbeath based Fife College students have won a trip to Italy after winning a competition to design an ecohouse.

HND Interior Design students, Susan Crombie and Mercedes DeQuer, won a competition run by the College and Clivet, an Italian Heat Pump company.

The competition challenged the students to take the blank canvas of a basic house and design an interior that makes it into a home.

Due to the high standard of the designs Clivet decided to take the best two and give the students the chance to visit the factory in Italy and learn more about the heat pump systems, so that they could use this knowledge in their professional futures, and share with other students on the course.

The College has been working in conjunction with Clivet on a unique ecohouse project that will use their innovative heat pump systems to demonstrate and teach the theory and practice to students.

The ecohouse, based at the College’s Stenton Campus, will also be used to demonstrate the system to possible users, builders, and local councils, so that they have a chance to see it in operation in a ‘real’ house.

Susan and Mercedes, both from Cowdenbeath, will head to Italy for three days next March to visit the factory to learn more about the systems.

John Wincott, Environmental Services Co-ordinator, said: “Fife College is delighted to be working with Clivet and using our ecohouse project to demonstrate this innovative use of heat pump technology. "One of the biggest challenges facing the domestic heating marketing going forwards is our reliance on gas central heating. The Clivet system provides heating, cooling and hot water in one integrated unit, as well as filtering the air in the house to ensure that the home environment is as comfortable as possible.

“The system is ideally suited to new build properties where energy efficiency is part of the design. For our Interior design students to be involved in this project illustrates how wide-ranging the skills requirements are in modern building projects.”

Graham Evans, Clivet Residential Heat Pump & Light Commercial Business Development Manager, said: “Clivet Group UK are pleased to offer the students and staff the opportunity to understand the importance of renewable energy and in particular heating, cooling and air quality.

"It is our intention and responsibility to introduce these products to the next generation of installers and designers and what better place to start than Fife College, where the enthusiasm to learn and embrace the technology is clear and very welcome.”

Our picture shows Marc Fleming, Curriculum Manager for Built Environment Technicians and Interior Design at Fife College; students, Susan Crombie and Mercedes De Quer; Karen Colville, Built Environment Technicians Lecturer at Fife College; and John Wincott, Environmental Services Co-ordinator at Fife College.