GETTING RELIABLE INFORMATION
One of the biggest challenges you will face when using these alternative techniques is finding designers and builders who have experience in them. If you’re doing all the planning and the works yourself, there are excellent books on all these types of construction. Seek out Building with Cob – A Step-by-step Guide by Wiseman & Bryce. Or if you’re impressed by the sustainability and beauty of hemp as a building material, start by acquiring a copy of The Hempcrete Book by William Stanwix and Alex Sparrow. You can also lean on groups such as Straw Bale Building UK and the Devon Earth Building Association for advice.
The Greenspec website is another great resource. It aims to promote sustainable building products, materials and construction techniques, and is edited by practicing architects and specifiers. The site includes very useful comparisons of the environmental impact of different building materials and components, including masonry, claddings, waterproofing, windows, finishes, insulation and rainwater systems.
Check out the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP), which has a great resources tab, offering access to detailed presentations and reports on aspects of sustainable materials selection. The Association of Environment Conscious Builders (AECB) has led the green building movement in the UK for many years. It has some great forums on the community section of its website, where genuinely cutting-edge information is exchanged by practical, hands-on people.
Specialist sustainable construction material suppliers in the UK include Green Building Sore (www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk), Ecological Building Systems (www.ecologicalbuildingsystems.com), Ecomerchant (www.eco merchant.co.uk), Mike Wye (www.mikewye.co.uk), Soprema (www.soprema. co.uk) and PYC (www.pycgroup.co.uk). A number of timber building system suppliers can accommodate natural insulations such as straw bale and hempcrete, while the likes of Ecococon (www.ecococon.eu) produce walling panels made almost entirely of natural and renewable materials.