Footprint

Guest blogger Paul Hinkin, managing director of Black Architecture

One Man’s Surplus is Another’s Supply

Builder Scrap located on stand 448 have set up an ingenious free web service that helps to avoid unwanted building materials being wasted. All the contractor needs to do is log on to the system or text details of what is available. Anyone can then search the database for free or low cost materials available in the local area, helping to save money and reduce waste. As with all good ideas this one is simple and effective. Next time you are interviewing contractors why not ask them if they are familiar with the service, or better still make its use a requirement in the contract documents.

Let There Be Light

Limitless on stand GS13 have the Parans daylighting systems on display that allows natural light to be delivered into rooms and spaces without windows.  A roof or wall-mounted collector with a series of computer-controlled lenses tracks the sun and focuses the light onto the end of a fibre optic cables that run down to the spaces requiring illumination.  The light is delivered into the room via luminaries that can be specified to provide daylight only or be fitted with low energy sources for use at night.  The benefits over traditional light pipes are easy of installation and greater harvesting of available sunlight due to the active nature of the collector.  Also because there is no transfer of the ultra violet spectrum, they are safe to use in sensitive locations including art galleries, museums and hospitals.  With lighting often accounting for up to 50% of a buildings electrical usage this technology can make a significant reduction in carbon emissions and is ideally suited to refurbishment projects due to the thin nature of the fibres that transfer the light.

Residential Renewal

As we are all aware, the refurbishment and renewal of our existing building stock is one of the greatest challenges that we face. United House located on stand 2396 are contractors who specialise in the ecological improvement of existing residential buildings. They are showcasing two projects, one a flat in a multi-occupancy building and the other a larger family Victorian terraced house undertaken for Notting Hill Housing. These two projects, at either end of the spectrum of urban housing, include most of the challenges that we need to overcome if we are to make our existing historic building stock perform to the current standards.

As a flat dweller I was particularly interested in their approach to improving this building type, focusing as it does, on getting the basics of insulation, air tightness and window performance right before thinking about upgrading mechanical systems. Technology used to achieve the envelope enhancements includes vacuum glazing with a cavity of only 0.2mm that achieves better thermal performance than conventional double glazing and aerogel insulation that is twice as efficient as the best performing traditional types.

The project achieves a carbon reduction of 70% and a saving in running costs of 35% which is impressive, and that is before feed-in tariffs are applied to the micro CHP’s 900 kWh pa electrical output. All of this is achieved at a construction cost of only £22,000. Just imagine what would happen if the next government made appropriate funding available for large scale housing renewal.

Toys for the Boys

The Rotomotion stand caught my eye because it had a radio-controlled helicopter hanging from the ceiling. Being a big kid at heart and having always wanting to have a go at flying, I had to stop for a chat. It turns out that this is no toy, but has been developed for a range of military and civilian surveillance uses and is capable of carrying weapon systems! So what do you ask is a piece of military hardware doing at Ecobuild? Well the answer is that is can be fitted with a high definition video or thermal imaging camera to collect aerial survey data. This got me thinking, why don’t large building estate owners use the system to identify areas of poor performance and then use the data to inform their building refurbishment programme. They would also be great for getting low cost aerial footage for major presentations or aerial images of completed developments. It must be dramatically less harmfull to the environment than using the real thing.

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Filed under: Sustainable products