Having charted the construction of the timber frame, I returned to this Exmoor straw house build in Autumn 2018 to follow the installation of the bales. A rare opportunity This is an assisted self build; Hawkland Ecological Construction are guiding the project. And it is rare, being on a greenRead More →
In June 2018 I visited the Sonnenpark, a Bio Solar House development in South West Germany. Bio Solar Houses are highly energy efficient, yet also simple, not relying on excessive technology. A Bio Solar House is a house within a house. The inner house is highly insulated, while the outer one is largelyRead More →
Dalston Works, completed in Summer 2017, is the world’s largest timber building. It was designed by sustainability specialists Waugh Thistleton Architects. I spoke with Dave Lomax, Senior Associate at the practice. Built for London Developer Regal Homes, Dalston Works is a ten-storey complex housing 121 flats, as well as overRead More →
In a beautiful valley high up in Exmoor, Hawkland Ecological Construction have started work on a new straw bale house. I went to see the beginnings of the structure. The timber platform rests on a foundation of used car tyres. These in turn rest on compacted hard core. TheRead More →
![Adnams Hempcrete Distribution Centre, Southwold. Credit: Sky Garden Ltd (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://ebuilding.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Sky_Garden_Adnams_Brewery_Green_Roof-840x385.jpg)
Not only have Adnams Brewers in Suffolk built their distribution centre from hempcrete, but their other sustainability work is impressively broad ranging. I interviewed employee Ben Orchard, winner of the 2018 EDIE Sustainability Manager of the Year award. This accolade is just one milestone in the history of a company thatRead More →
The UK is in the middle of a major housing crisis. Meanwhile, there are millions of unused shipping containers in the world. I went to meet Iain Clark, of London housing cooperative the Yellow Brick Road, to see how recycled shipping container homes might help. According to the homelessRead More →
Hempcrete is a lightweight concrete, made of lime, water, and the shredded stems of hemp plants: hemp shiv. The material was developed in France over the last 40 years, by builders looking for a breathable material to use for repairing period buildings. Highly successful, it was also adopted for newRead More →
On a cold December Monday in East London, between bouts of snow, I visited a fascinating new project: the creation of an off-grid residential community and environmental activism hub, aboard 1926 Dutch barge the Vriendschap. Much as the pun doesn’t directly work in Dutch – ‘schap’ means shelf – appropriatelyRead More →
Bradfield Woods is one of Britain’s finest ancient woodlands, managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. It is mainly coppiced, and there is a particularly high biodiversity. In 2011 the Trust built a new education and visitor centre. The aim was an eco-friendly structure, that would blend into its surroundings. Read More →
Sustainable settlements like Hockerton Housing Project are a model of a potential future. There are lifestyle changes and time commitments for the inhabitants, and I was keen to see how this worked in practice. There are several sustainable settlements around the UK and Republic of Ireland – for example, LammasRead More →