A HOUSE made of mud, straw, wood and stone may have been beaten to Britain's biggest architectural award by the Scottish Parliament building, but it has nabbed a top green prize instead.

Cobtun, Nicholas Worsley's home in Northwick, Worcester, was built to an ecologically-friendly blueprint and designed by John Christophers of Associated Architects in Birmingham.

As we reported yesterday, the intriguing structure failed to take the Royal Institute of Architects' Stirling Prize. However, it has won the organisation's prize for sustainability.

The home is insulated with ground-up newspaper and its outer wall is made of cob - a mixture of clay, straw, grit and water - which was pitchforked and trampled into place.

Other features include water heated by solar tubes and a south-facing wall made largely of glass.

Mr Worsley built the home in the particular style as a response to his concern about man's abuse of the environment and the excessive amounts of energy used by the building industry.

He said: "It's great I won. The award is given for elegance in providing a sustainable building and I'm absolutely over the moon about it.

"I'm hoping it'll open people's eyes up to what can be done and that I can get involved with local schools so youngsters can come and see it next year.

"It's very important for Worcester that groundbreaking buildings are going up in and around the city."