Eco Building Advice Surgery by Mark Saich of Green Building Solutions and Paul Mallion of Conker Conservation at Bring and Fix at Westgate Hall, Canterbury Sunday 26th February 2012 between Noon and 4pm.

Bring and Fix 

Bring and Fix is a new intergenerational fair created by Philippe Granger, and during which local people come together to share their skills and knowledge – to help each other and have fun while doing so. It is an event where individuals ‘fix’ small things, seek and provide advice, and come up with solutions. Its aim is to build sustainable communities through recognisable events that can be repeated in one’s locality or community on a regular basis. The aim of Bring and Fix is to encourage people to get involved with their community and to repair and recycle instead of throwing away.

The Bring and Fix at Westgate Hall Canterbury is one of numerous events being organised by the Westgate Hall Trust.

As part of the Bring and Fix Green Building Solutions and Conker Conservation ltd will be giving advice of energy savings measures, advice on how to go about get repairs, upgrades or renovations to your property. If you want to know how to save money on your fuel bills and reduce your carbon footprint, are thinking of extending or renovation your home, thinking about building a new home but don’t know where to start then come and visit us for an informal chat and get un-biased advice to help you get your project started.

Other “Fixers” include: Gardening and food growing advice, sewing, bike repairs and curry cooking tips! For more information on the event and how you can get involved visit the Westgate Hall Trust website event page.

Here you will find mini case studies of some of the more interesting projects we’ve been involved with, news, details of seminars, workshops and other events we are hosting, delivering or that we just think you should know about. Search the blog for subjects that interest you using the search bar below or the categories to the right.

Energy efficiency and the wider issues of sustainability are becoming key issues of concern in our fragile and rapidly changing planet. In the drive towards healthy, sustainable and energy efficient building it is becoming increasingly apparent that the use of natural renewable materials have a major role to play. In this new series of workshops by Green Building Solutions the use of straw bales in the construction of load and non-load bearing walls is explored through presentation, demonstration and practical workshop constructing a wall following typical details.

During this one day practical straw bale training workshop you learn about the history, viability and techniques for building with straw bales. You will get hands on experience through the construction of a demonstration wall.

Each straw bale training workshop lasts a day and covers:

• History of straw bale building
• Pros and cons of straw bale building
• Types of straw bale building
• Building regulation issues
• Planning issues
• Straw bale selection and quality
• Laying bale walls
• Resizing straw bales
• Head and sole ladder construction
• Loading and compression
• Stiffening
• Trimming and shaping
• Creation of openings for doors and windows

Straw bale training workshops will be run each Spring, Summer and Autumn at a site near Blean/Dargate, Canterbury.

Workshop times: 9.00am arrival for 9.30 start until approx 4.30pm
Workshop cost: £70 per person (includes refreshments but excludes meals – please bring a packed lunch)

For 2012 dates look at the events diary or email us to be added to mailing list.

Please note straw bale training workshops are a practical and hands on experience. The workshops are held outside with minimal shelter. You will need to wear sturdy footwear and clothes appropriate to the tasks and weather.

Due to the limitation of time the days focus will be on the straw bale wall aspect of a building. Detailed coverage on rendering and plastering form part of separate workshops.

Client: BSK for K-college construction department
Location: Dover Cruise terminal

Business Support Kent financed a straw bale building workshop at the Kent Marine Festival. The Festival was organised as careers and courses open day for school children from around Kent. K-College had various stands showcasing their courses including the construction multi trades course. The straw bale workshop gave an opportunity for a group of K-College construction multi-skills students to try their hands at straw bale construction and for visitors and other exhibitors to get an insight to straw bale building methods and benefits.

Written and presented by Mark Saich, this NEW one day Green Register seminar to be held in London on 23rd February 2012 and Bristol on 15th March 2012.

Mark brings expert insight into the subject of designing high performing, healthy houses that will be future proofed against climate change. The emphasis throughout the seminar will be on down-to-earth advice to use in practice.

This seminar takes a critical exploration through Part L, SAP and associated guidance to look at what is required to achieve compliance with the building regulations and Code for Sustainable Homes (ENE1 and 2), highlighting solutions and pitfalls through worked examples/case studies.

Throughout the day, Mark will emphasise the sustainable aspects of the Regulations and standards so that delegates leave with a full understanding of how to design and build low energy, healthy, fully compliant homes fit for the 21st century and will also question whether the current tools and guidance can truly deliver energy efficient and healthy homes.

What did previous Green Register delegates say about Mark’s Building Regs seminar?

“Really good pace and well presented, kept our attention all day”

“Relatively simple approach to complex changes to already complex subject matter – well presented”

“Really excellent & seamless, expansive knowledge”

“Course was great – Thanks!”

Booking only through Green Register

Download Green Register information and booking flyer for London event here.
Download Green Register information and booking flyer for Bristol event here.

The event organised by The Passivhaus Hub and Tessa O’Sullivan of Action with Communities in Rural Kent was aimed at housing associations in the Kent area to both promote the standard and to highlight problems with the existing regulatory framework and tools relating to energy efficiency in the housing sector.

The event was chaired by Professor Ian Swingland OBE, the speakers included members of the Passivhaus Hub (Mark Saich, Paul Mallion, Joe Wild, Andrew Bassant, Keith Bothwell) who were joined by the James Anwyl from Eurobuild, the designers and builders of the centre which is a certified Passivhaus building, Paul Gannaway from Betteridge and Milsom.

Details of the subjects covered through the day plus more information on the speakers can be found by downloading the flyer - download flyer

As the event was oversubscribed and received positive feedback from the delegates – view results – a further event “The Passivhaus standard demystified” was organised and aimed at a wider audience to include planners, building control, architects and surveyors.

Client: Tony Wheeler
Design consultants: Green Building Solutions & Conker Conservation Ltd
Builder: Self Build plus;  Carpentry and Joinery – Jon Banks

Key features:

• Straw Bale infill between DIY “I” beam studs
• Home made clay plaster and render
• Locally made high performance oak
• Living roof

Self Build Straw Bale Dwelling House Kent was self designed in partnership with Green Building Solutions and Conker Conservation Ltd. Whilst very much a client led design Green Building Solutions provided consultancy services with regard to straw bale construction, materials and detailing, general building regulation advice and SAP and U-value calculations.

Work has been progressing well through out the year and the building is virtually weather tight. The protective scaffold cover is due to come down mid-late January 2012. Once exposed there will be an opportunity to get new photographs. Revisit here for updates.

The building was originally built out of local stone, with sand mortar and lime based pointing and in places has had lime render. The floors are of local oak and chestnut. Over it’s life the building has been extended, split, re-joined, converted to a tractor shed, been fully occupied and partially occupied and finally left vacant and become derelict.

The renovation work has included a new roof, new ground floors, replacement floor boarding to first floor, new openings and internal remodelling whilst retaining many features and maintaining the buildings character by using reclaimed materials.

Proposed small load bearing straw bale building for use as a music and recording studio.
Work due to commence this spring (2012) and complete by September ready for this years festival.

The work on the Straw Bale Music and Recording Studio will be carried out through a series of workshops and volunteer sessions. It is intended to construct the building almost entirely from recycled materials.

We will be looking for:

• Straw bales
• Clay sub-soil
• Hardcore
• Sand
• Concrete blocks and bricks
• Paving slabs
• 4×2 and 6×2 softwood timber
• Two small timber windows
• Two fire doors with vision panels
• External door
• OSB and shuttering ply
• Corrugated roof sheeting – tin or Onduline or similar
• Guttering and downpipes
• Insulation

If you would like to get involved and make this exciting Straw Bale project a reality – use the Green Building Solutions contact form to get in touch.

Last course before fitting top ladder!

Self-build straw bale workshop and barn – Woodchurch Kent

Client: Tony Wheeler
Design consultants: Green Building Solutions & Conker Conservation ltd
Builder: Self-build plus;  volunteers, Carpentry and joinery – Jon Banks,

Whilst very much a client led design Green Building Solutions provided consultancy services with regard to materials and detailing, general building and training through onsite workshops covering straw bale construction and clay plaster and render.

The barn was built to assist the running of the small holding and as a practice run for many of the ideas and features that Tony wanted to include the new dwelling on the same site.

Key features:

• Load-bearing straw bale walls
• Cob walls
• Home made clay plaster and render
• Home made lime wash
• Locally made high performance oak framed doors and windows
• Living roof