Construction Methods
While beset by yet another set of official forms, or struggling to understand the latest turn the planning committee has taken over your application to build what they call in the trade a 'non standard' house, have you ever wondered why it all seems to be such hard work? After [...]
A potentially sustainable new form of concrete has been recently created that might make it the most environmentally friendly type of building material. Concrete in its traditional form is made from cement, mixed with a range of coarse aggregates such as gravel, limestone or granite, and some finer particle aggregates [...]
There is an urgent need to address the great challenges of our times: climate change, resource depletion, pollution, and peak oil. These issues are all accelerating rapidly, and all have strong links with the building industry. There is a growing consensus from scientists and the oil industry that we are [...]
Lime has been used in building techniques for over 5,000 years. Archaeological evidence shows it to have been in existence for this time frame due to its resilience, durability, and water resistant qualities. The Romans used lime extensively in their building programme in Britain, and refined its application into mortars [...]
Making buildings with dirt is an idea that's been around almost as long as man has been on earth. We've all done it -as kids most of us built little things with mud. Cob building, a tradition from Cumbria and Southwest England, is like that, but on a bigger scale. [...]
Insulation is a key component of sustainable building design. A well insulated home reduces energy bills by keeping warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and this in turn cuts down carbon emissions linked to global climate change. In terms of energy efficiency, investing in high levels of [...]
Biomass roofing is the use of plant materials to build roofs. People from around the world have always used whatever vegetation was locally available and abundant to build their roofs. This cultural and environmental diversity has led to a wide range of roofing materials and styles, from the simple and [...]
Plants have been used on roofs for thousands of years, from sod roofs in Europe to the hanging gardens of Babylon. But in the last 50 years this practice has evolved into what are now called green roofs, living roofs or eco-roofs. Green roofs are those that have been planted [...]
The construction industry is a major source of pollution, responsible for around 4% of particulate emissions, more water pollution incidents than any other industry, and thousands of noise complaints every year. Although construction activities also pollute the soil, the main areas of concern are: air, water and noise pollution. Air [...]
The construction industry is under increasing pressure to become sustainable. One way to address this is through the use of reclaimed materials. Reclaimed materials are those that have been previously used in a building or project, and which are then re-used in another project. The materials might be altered, re-sized, [...]
All paints contain three main components: pigment (colour), a binder (holds the paint together) and a carrier (disperses the binder). With many modern paints these ingredients are made using toxic chemicals that are harmful to both the environment and human health. Cadmium, lead and chromium are frequently used in pigments; [...]
Stone is a beautiful natural material that can be cut to any size, and will enhance the exterior or interior of any building. A stone-clad building has a natural elegance to it, that gives it a timeless quality. Brick can be made to any shape and most sizes, and because [...]
Eco-friendly, or ecological, construction is building a structure that is beneficial or non-harmful to the environment, and resource efficient. Otherwise known as green building, this type of construction is efficient in its use of local and renewable materials, and in the energy required to build it, and the energy generated [...]
A carbon footprint is used to calculate the amount of damage caused by an individual, household, institution or business to the environment through harmful carbon dioxide emissions. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions is seen as essential to sustaining the environment and can be achieved in two ways: Reduction of Carbon Dioxide [...]
Sustainable building is an essential aspect of widening efforts to conceive an ecologically responsible world. A building that is sustainable must, by nature, be constructed using locally sustainable materials: i.e. materials that can be used without any adverse effect on the environment, and which are produced locally, reducing the need [...]
