Invention is a dream (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Invention is a dream

2:43pm Monday 6th February 2006

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ARCHITECT Digby Rowsell has invented a system that will turn lofts into living space.

Mr Rowsell, who has had his own practice in Devizes for 25 years, said his idea came to him in the middle of the night.

The Telebeam loft conversion and flooring system is aimed at owners of post 1970 trussed roof houses.

Telebeam is a telescopic system of aluminium supports which solves the problem of carrying out loft conversions.

Mr Rowsell said: "This invention solves a serious problem that potentially affects millions of families in the UK.

"It unlocks the space that people have already paid for. Instead of moving to a bigger house they can move up into the attic and save on removal costs and legal fees as well as avoiding the disruption of moving and perhaps having to put their children in new schools."

Mr Rowsell, who is married with two children, said most modern houses have trussed roofs which make the loft resemble a "forest of wood" inside.

Mr Rowsell said he woke up suddenly at 3am one morning to find that his subconscious had worked out a revolutionary new way of dealing with the problem.

He said: "I'd love to say I sat poring over a drawing board for months but in fact it all just came into my head. It was so clear, it was spooky. Within four hours I had worked out all the principals and details and even had the name for it."

Mr Rowsell has been working on his invention for two years and teamed up with Simon Falkner-Lee, who lives near Lacock and who has a marketing background.

The pair will be exhibiting Telebeam at the Homebuilding and Renovating Show at the NEC, Birmingham, from March 2 to 5.

The system costs around £5,000 plus VAT for a typical two or three bedroom house.

Before setting up his own architectural practice he worked for Kennet District Council in the building control and planning department.

His practice's recent architectural work includes working with world renowned architect I M Pei, who designed the Louvre in Paris, to build a glass and steel structure that is in the garden of a Grade I listed building in the Pewsey Vale, right.

It looks like a spacecraft that has landed on the grass and is used for entertaining.

The structure won the Georgian Society prize as it was considered to be a contemporary Georgian building.

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