In an east London backstreet, on an old light industrial site, a new terrace of homes promises “planet-positive” living. The Arbour’s 10 properties, priced from £950,000 to £1.5 million ($1.8 million to $2.8 million), are designed to be carbon negative, energy positive and zero waste.

By being carbon negative, these homes go a step further than being carbon neutral or net zero. Built from recycled materials – including foundations formed of bricks and blocks from the old buildings that stood on the site, and shower enclosures made from recycled yoghurt pots – they should absorb more carbon from the atmosphere than they produce, both during construction and from day one of their lifecycle. Even the carbon emissions of transporting materials have been included in the equation.

Financial Times