<b></b><p></p><p><b><b>The Zethus centre in Kent, which has just opened, is an ambitious attempt to promote new ideas in housing. Allison Heller visited the scheme and talked to project manager Simon Palmer about innovation, training and even Greek mythology</b></b><br><b>Beautifully set against the backdrop of a clear autumn day, the blue timber buildings of the Zethus Centre look radiant. And amidst their monotone surroundings at the University of Greenwich&amp;’s Dartford Campus they seem to have dropped down from another era. Which is hopefully where they will lead the housebuilding industry.</b><br><b><b>An ambitious project</b></b><br> And if this seems rather grand and ambitious, then so will the &amp;“Global Village&amp;” of innovative test houses that will soon grow around the Centre, and the branding of the scheme&amp;’s project manager, The Palmer Partnership, as &amp;“housing innovation consultants&amp;”. But then this is an ambitious project.</p><p>It started two years ago when The Palmer Partnership&amp;’s director, Simon Palmer, then TRADA&amp;’s research director, approached the DETR for funding to investigate timber frame technology. The government responded by offering funding to develop innovation in the housing sector from a broader perspective, and with a &amp;“yes&amp;” TPP was born, with Palmer - the very model of a man for these heady <i>Rethinking Construction …