ECOLOGICAL BUILDING SYSTEMS

Ecological Buildings Systems building products and membranes

During the session each group presented their research into their topics of self-build, timber frame and low impact design. This gave the whole group a good understanding of what each other was researching. In the second part of the session Finten Wallace from Ecological Building Systems came to present the company and the products that they sell. They are based in Cumbria and have been product importers for the past 20 years, focusing on natural insulation.

Their 5 key principles are:

• Super-insulation

• Airtightness

• Ventilation

• Windows

• Zero thermal bridges

These 5 key principles are important because they show what the the important elements are in order to maintain a building which will be as sufficient as possible. They pride themselves on their airtightness being the key factor of their company, as it means that they can help insulate homes securely, with their slogan being “build tight, ventilate right”. They like to make sure that their clients are comfortable in their homes and don’t have to worry about being cold, along with being physically comfortable their clients can also be financially comfortable knowing that they are making savings in the region of £450 – £500 per year on oil.

Finten then explained the materials which are preferable in constructing an airtight building include: • Steel • Concrete • Timber • Plaster • Glass

The bad materials: • Block and brickwork • Duct tape • Dot and dab plasterboard • Silicone caulking

AND the ugly: • Foam (which he advised us to stay away from at all costs).

Overall this was a very helpful lecture as it allowed the students to gain a solid understanding of how to make a building airtight and made us all aware of how important it is to include this within our designs.

Written by: Ruby Phelps, BA Architecture

Date: 21/02/19

Ecologicalbuildingsystems.com. (2019). Ecological Building Systems Ireland | Airtightness and Insulation. [online] Available at: https://www.ecologicalbuildingsystems.com/Ireland

Pinwheel Structures 1-800-905-9934. (2019). Passive House — Pinwheel Structures 1-800-905-9934. [online] Available at: http://www.pinwheelstructures.com/passivehouse

Paperigloo.com. (2019). paper igloo architecture and design -. [online] Available at: http://www.paperigloo.com/

Woodforgood.com. (2019). Home. [online] Available at: https://woodforgood.com/