Sustainable Design
It isn't always easy ensuring that what is titled as a 'sustainable build project' can be kept as sustainable as possible across the whole construction cycle. Dealing with the waste side of that has often caused builders rather more than their fair share of headaches. Fortunately, as increasing numbers of [...]
Between shifting rainfall patterns and the burgeoning demands of our increasing population, the pressure on water resources in the UK continues to rise, despite our often notoriously wet climate - which puts water reuse and recycling high on the sustainability agenda. Perhaps more to the point, at a time when [...]
It is, perhaps, one of the most irritating paradoxes of British weather that, having endured downpours and deluges throughout the winter, we'll often be met with hosepipe bans in the summer, as the water supply struggles to meet demand. Then, as if to rub salt into the wound, when the [...]
Wetter and drier, hotter and possibly colder - and windier too - that contradictory mix appears to sum up the predictions for the UK over the rest of the century. It seems that just when the British climate can't get any stranger, it does! Britain's weather has always been what [...]
If you are planning to decorate, chances are you worry about the trees which have been sacrificed to provide your wallpaper? Of course painting is always an option (VOC-free naturally) but a painted wall can lack the impact of wallpaper if you want to create a statement wall. Latest Wall [...]
If you’re planning to update your tired kitchen by installing new worktops, you can choose from a range of ‘greener’ options. Sadly, no worktop is truly environmentally-friendly but some worktops – such as wood, glass and recycled ceramic - are more eco-friendly than others. Why Choose a ‘Green’ Worktop? Many [...]
Just 20 years ago, most gardens in Britain had a lawn. Usually, it covered most of the garden – with a few bushes, flower beds or features such as a pergola to break the monotony of it all. But since then, more and more householders have opted to replace their [...]
Sustainable design is such a major part of the concept of design that it is now often included in the planning and design process by urban and city planners, in their strategy for either designing a new city, or extending an existing one. Architects are often brought into this process, [...]
There is little doubt that at the start of the new millennium, the planet is in an environmental crisis. The production of carbon by humans is literally killing the planet by choking its cleansing systems. The seas are becoming acidic, the air that we breathe is becoming acrid and polluted, [...]
Learning about green building techniques, and ways to make construction more environmentally friendly, are becoming much more common and easily available through a series of courses and workshops across the UK. As many people in all walks of life and professions are waking up to the call to be more [...]
Recycling the objects and materials we use on a daily basis is now such an urgent task that Governments, Local Councils and concerned individuals are all searching for ways to both inspire people to recycle, and to enforce recycling laws. Recycling is so urgent because we as a human community [...]
Sunrooms and greenhouses are a wonderful asset to any type of building be they attached to the building or freestanding in another part of the garden or property. These types of rooms are traditionally made mainly with glass, rather than brick or stone – or can be brick up to [...]
Humans live in a very anthropocentric world; that is most of us, unless we are farmers, or live deep within the countryside, spend our time dealing with other people, and not thinking about the wider world. Human dis-connection with the natural world is one of the great themes of the [...]
Bamboo is a woody evergreen plant traditionally grown in South-East Asia, and now grown across India and the Himalayas, North-East Australia, and South-West America. It grows in diverse climate zones, and can spread rapidly, unless prevented or deliberately cultivated. It has traditionally been regarded by Chinese society as a symbol [...]
Renovating an old house or simply refitting is perhaps the most sustainable means of construction. If the outer shell is kept, and the project needs no major building effort, then the potential environmental damage of sourcing and bringing in new materials and machinery is reduced or is none at all. [...]
Lighting accounts for around 15% of the energy bill in most homes, and around 25% in commercial buildings. It is supplied by electrical power plants using fossil fuels, and is responsible for a significant percentage of carbon dioxide emissions, a leading cause of global climate change. Because of this, the [...]
Sewage, also called blackwater, is a complex mixture of contaminants containing pathogens, toxic chemicals, heavy metals, debris, nutrients, nitrates and phosphates. It is wastewater from both domestic and industrial sources, from faeces and urine, to bleach and cleaning products, paint, solvent and oils - everything that is flushed down a [...]
Windows are a critical component in sustainable building design. Most energy flows in and out of a building through its windows, but with intelligent design and technological innovation they can be used to provide heating, cooling and lighting for a better indoor environment. To optimise the energy performance of windows [...]
Water is an increasingly scarce and precious resource. Rising demand, water pollution and climate change are a huge threat to fresh water supplies. The construction industry has acknowledged the urgent need to conserve and manage water and has taken measures to implement sustainable water design throughout the build process. Water [...]
Composting toilets (also called biological, dry or waterless toilets) are systems that treat human excrement through biological processes, turning it into organic compost material that can be used to fertilise the soil. They are small-scale, complete sewage processing systems not connected to the mains sewage system. The Chinese have been [...]
Within the field of sustainable design, space, or the use thereof, is paramount. Sustainability in building design means can the building be wholly constructed from renewable resources, and can it support a system within itself that aims to use renewable resources, such as bio-fuel or solar power? If the initial [...]
Allergens are substances that cause an allergic reaction in the immune system. Symptoms include: headaches, shortness of breath, eczema, sneezing, watery eyes, depression, fatigue, diarrhoea, palpitations, coughing, sleeping difficulties, sore throat, dizziness and asthma. In the last fifty years there has been a global pandemic of allergies such as asthma, [...]
The biggest issue facing house designers and builders in the modern age is how to ensure the construction accords with the worldwide need to exist within limits of sustainability. This involves ensuring that all resources used are made from renewable resources, instead of eating away at the eventually limited worldwide [...]
We all know what its like to be in an office environment or home without air conditioning, particularly if there's an untypical heat wave across the UK, but how can we ensure when designing and constructing an ecologically sound building, that the ventilation system is eco-friendly ? The simplest solution [...]
Electricity usage has a profound detrimental effect on the environment. Electricity is sourced from power stations, the majority of which burn harmful fossil fuels. One way of reducing electricity usage and, therefore, carbon emissions is to use energy efficient appliances. Energy Efficient Labelling Under EU regulations many electrical goods must [...]
