Buildgreen : Links and Other Information.

Jump to : Info about...

...on this page.

Links and Contacts

'A healthier approach to construction. Services and products to benefit the home and global environment'.
Please contact us by :
e-mail : buildgreen@ecosse.net
or radiopage Freyan M. Eames (quoting "W3") on :
07663 797 178
*** Looking for information about : ***
The Real Green Buildings Exhibition

Construction Resources were formed in January 1998 in London and is a centre for ecological building products, systems, books, periodicals and videos from all over Europe. They also provide seminars and courses. Construction Resources actively promotes environmentally sound design and practice in both domestic and commercial construction, maximum use of safe, renewable natural materials and minimum use of energy, nonrenewable and non-recyclable resources.
Date Reviewed : 07/02/00
Most of the information is contained in very informative factsheets about the products they supply (see any of the liberal sprinkling of links to CR throughout this site). The site also explains a bit about who they are, directions on how to visit them etc.
Main home page : www.ecoconstruct.com
e-mail: info@ecoconstruct.com
Isofloc Logo
Manufacturer of cellulose fibre insulation made from waste newspaper.
Date Reviewed : 15/11/99
How's your German ? At present there is no english version of this site but you could run it through Alta Vista's Translator ('Babel Fish'), copy this text : http://www.isofloc.de/daemmung/index.htm before you go there and you'll need to copy and paste in the URL of each page you want to view one at a time. Or have a look, if you haven't already, at our information about it.
Main home page is : www.isofloc.de
e-mail : info@isofloc.de

"Natural Building Technologies (NBT) was set up to bring modern analytical techniques to the ecology and products of building". They stock natural and traditional materials, and supply technical expertise and support via design sheets and the telephone. Emphasis is placed on the price and practicality of their products. Their products are particularly relevant to 'breathing' construction in historic and modern contexts. They have a number of retail outlets throughout Britain.
Date reviewed : 05/05/00
The website is still under construction but holds a lot of information which is well laid out and easy to find. Definitely worth checking out.
Main home page is : www.natural-building.co.uk
e-mail : info@natural-building.co.uk

Manufacturer of a clay based plaster / wall finish.
Date Reviewed : 15/11/99
The main english bit is a web version (pretty much) of a leaflet they produce telling you about their product, how to use it etc. If you want to see a wider variety of the colours that can be produced by mixing proportions of the basic colours then it's worth having a look at www.tierrafino.nl/eupages/nlpages/index.html, and clicking on each basic colour in turn to see example mixes (accompanying text is also in english). Go direct to each colour from here if you like : Grey, Red, Green, Ochre, White (just shows you white by itself, not mixed). Or have a look at what we say about it.
Main home page is : www.tierrafino.nl
e-mail : info@tierrafino.nl

CAT Symbol The Centre for Alternative Technology is 'an educational charity striving to achieve the best cooperation between the natural, technological and human worlds'. They test, live with and display strategies and tools for doing this on a 40 acre site near Machynlleth in west Wales. Seven acres of this is open to the public making it the largest public display centre of its kind in Europe. Displays include working examples of wind, water and solar power, energy conservation, environmentally sound buildings, self build, organic growing and alternative sewage systems.
Date Reviewed : 15/11/99
This is a large, well laid out site which is easy to use and find what you're looking for. Lots of information here on all sorts of 'green'-related areas. Some examples of the information on offer can be found on their 'Information and Resources - Sample Publications' page. They also supply (among other things) 'Tipsheets' and books on 'green' subjects by mail order. Most of the tipsheets are also available online.
Main home page is : www.cat.org.uk
e-mail : info@cat.org.uk (if you are going to contact them go to their Contact Information page for links to e-mail forms, the address and telephone number etc.)
S E D A
The Scottish Environmental Design Association (S E D A ) are a nonprofit making organisation who promote ecological design, materials, products, research, and the setting of standards for these. They also promote professional and consumer awareness of these more ecological options.
Date Reviewed : 15/11/99
The site is arranged as four very long pages with many internal links to other parts of each page. Their online Newsletter is good for finding out about eco-builds and events all over Scotland. There is also a good list of links to related websites.
Main home page is : www.inverarc.co.uk/seda/
e-mail : SEDA@inverarc.demon.co.uk
AECB Logo The Association for Environment-Conscious Building aim to facilitate environmentally responsible practices within the building industry. They promote the use of sustainable materials, encourage projects that protect, respect and enhance the environment and aim to increase the availability of information about products and methods.
Date Reviewed : 15/11/99
This is a good site for getting all sorts of information on 'greener building' (including lots of links - Bookmark ('Favorite^MSTM') me now or I'll never see you again !) and for finding contractors in your area. Their web address used to be http://members.aol.com/buildgreen/ but have now moved to www.aecb.net, as a result the web site is kind of spread between the two addresses. Particularly worth checking out is the News page and the FAQ page (get to it via the 'News' page). For links to other information sources and contractors there's obviously their links page, but also check out the page about their Greener Building Products and Services Directory (a link to this is buried on the 'Join Now' application form). There are more links here and sample pages from the Directory - you may get lucky and find a contractor in your area.
Building for a Future Header The AECB also produce a very good magazine called 'Building for a Future' as far as I know this is only available direct from them. You can get more info on the mag (and read some online extracts) from the 'Greener Building Products and Services Directory' page (see above).
e-mail : info@aecb.net

The Price Issue
When singled out so-called 'eco-products' tend to be more expensive. One reason for this is because standard products are being produced en-masse on an industrial scale while 'eco-products' tend to be produced on a much smaller scale or imported from Europe resulting in relatively higher prices. Prices will fall as public and commercial interest increases. People in 'the business' with an interest and enlightened outlook towards eco-products will guarantee that the price will fall simply by using them. Existing trade suppliers will also move to stocking these products increasing availability and sales and in turn further price reductions.
Furthermore as a consumer (includes government bodies and companies as well as private individuals) we tend to concentrate on the short term cost / value-for-money of a product or service - it's the bit that hurts ! Many energy saving products are only cost effective in the long term. However over their lifetime, genuine eco-products recoup the initial price difference many times over and equally if not more importantly they are less harmful to organisms and the environment and result in the use of less energy which equals less pollution.

Breathing Constructions, Pore-Ventilation and Dynamic Insulation
The main feature of breathing surfaces is that although they are waterproof they are not totally sealed the way a sheet of plastic is. Instead the surfaces are porous and so allow water vapour and air to pass through them while still providing a barrier to rain and wind (similar to a 'Gore-Tex' jacket).
Traditional stone walls have always had this property however with a modern understanding of the processes involved we can ensure that the moisture always moves from the inside to the outside of the building and not give rise to any rot in the process. When it comes to the movement of air, however, it is preferable that it moves through the breathing surfaces from the outside to the inside. This will then mean that the air will carry heat (that would normally pass, by conduction, to the outside) back into the structure. A slightly lower pressure inside a building relative to the outside will cause this to happen. In a windy climate (eg. Scotland !) this is easy to achieve due to the 'Stack Effect' or by using an induction fan such as a savonious chimney cowl. If the climate is such that there is little or no wind then the use of a very small powered fan may be needed. A powered fan can also be used if a very constant airflow is required.
Conventional building practice in Britain has reduced heat loss by conduction by increasing the levels of insulation used and improved the airtightness of buildings to reduce heat loss due to draughts. This sealed environment can often make people uncomfortable and could even be a causal factor in Sick Building Syndrome (see below). By returning to more natural and basic principles (allowing buildings' surfaces to breathe and using environmentally safer and non-toxic materials) the interior and exterior environments will both benefit.

Sick Building Syndrome
This can be attributed to a combination of the use of synthetic paints, emissions from furniture and carpets, poor air quality due to defective air conditioning, and bad lighting. For people living or working in the building this can mean allergies, headaches, lung disorders, and increased contagion of bacterial and viral conditions. For a company housing its employees in such a building this means a higher incidence of sickness among the work force and LOST MONEY !
Jump back to the top.

Site designed and maintained by - Last updated : 27/07/00.


		Links and Contacts 'A healthier approach to construction. Services and products to benefit the home and global environment'. Please contact us by : e-mail : buildgreen@ecosse.net or radiopage Freyan M. Eames (quoting "W3") on : 07663 797 178 * Looking for information about : * The Real Green Buildings Exhibition
	Construction Resources were formed in January 1998 in London and is a centre for ecological building products, systems, books, periodicals and videos from all over Europe. They also provide seminars and courses. Construction Resources actively promotes environmentally sound design and practice in both domestic and commercial construction, maximum use of safe, renewable natural materials and minimum use of energy, nonrenewable and non-recyclable resources. Date Reviewed : 07/02/00 Most of the information is contained in very informative factsheets about the products they supply (see any of the liberal sprinkling of links to CR throughout this site). The site also explains a bit about who they are, directions on how to visit them etc. Main home page : www.ecoconstruct.com e-mail: info@ecoconstruct.com Manufacturer of cellulose fibre insulation made from waste newspaper. Date Reviewed : 15/11/99 How's your German ? At present there is no english version of this site but you could run it through Alta Vista's Translator ('Babel Fish'), copy this text : http://www.isofloc.de/daemmung/index.htm before you go there and you'll need to copy and paste in the URL of each page you want to view one at a time. Or have a look, if you haven't already, at our information about it. Main home page is : www.isofloc.de e-mail : info@isofloc.de "Natural Building Technologies (NBT) was set up to bring modern analytical techniques to the ecology and products of building". They stock natural and traditional materials, and supply technical expertise and support via design sheets and the telephone. Emphasis is placed on the price and practicality of their products. Their products are particularly relevant to 'breathing' construction in historic and modern contexts. They have a number of retail outlets throughout Britain. Date reviewed : 05/05/00 The website is still under construction but holds a lot of information which is well laid out and easy to find. Definitely worth checking out. Main home page is : www.natural-building.co.uk e-mail : info@natural-building.co.uk Manufacturer of a clay based plaster / wall finish. Date Reviewed : 15/11/99 The main english bit is a web version (pretty much) of a leaflet they produce telling you about their product, how to use it etc. If you want to see a wider variety of the colours that can be produced by mixing proportions of the basic colours then it's worth having a look at www.tierrafino.nl/eupages/nlpages/index.html, and clicking on each basic colour in turn to see example mixes (accompanying text is also in english). Go direct to each colour from here if you like : Grey, Red, Green, Ochre, White (just shows you white by itself, not mixed). Or have a look at what we say about it. Main home page is : www.tierrafino.nl e-mail : info@tierrafino.nl The Centre for Alternative Technology is 'an educational charity striving to achieve the best cooperation between the natural, technological and human worlds'. They test, live with and display strategies and tools for doing this on a 40 acre site near Machynlleth in west Wales. Seven acres of this is open to the public making it the largest public display centre of its kind in Europe. Displays include working examples of wind, water and solar power, energy conservation, environmentally sound buildings, self build, organic growing and alternative sewage systems. Date Reviewed : 15/11/99 This is a large, well laid out site which is easy to use and find what you're looking for. Lots of information here on all sorts of 'green'-related areas. Some examples of the information on offer can be found on their 'Information and Resources - Sample Publications' page. They also supply (among other things) 'Tipsheets' and books on 'green' subjects by mail order. Most of the tipsheets are also available online. Main home page is : www.cat.org.uk e-mail : info@cat.org.uk (if you are going to contact them go to their Contact Information page for links to e-mail forms, the address and telephone number etc.) The Scottish Environmental Design Association (S E D A ) are a nonprofit making organisation who promote ecological design, materials, products, research, and the setting of standards for these. They also promote professional and consumer awareness of these more ecological options. Date Reviewed : 15/11/99 The site is arranged as four very long pages with many internal links to other parts of each page. Their online Newsletter is good for finding out about eco-builds and events all over Scotland. There is also a good list of links to related websites. Main home page is : www.inverarc.co.uk/seda/ e-mail : SEDA@inverarc.demon.co.uk The Association for Environment-Conscious Building aim to facilitate environmentally responsible practices within the building industry. They promote the use of sustainable materials, encourage projects that protect, respect and enhance the environment and aim to increase the availability of information about products and methods. Date Reviewed : 15/11/99 This is a good site for getting all sorts of information on 'greener building' (including lots of links - Bookmark ('Favorite^MSTM') me now or I'll never see you again !) and for finding contractors in your area. Their web address used to be http://members.aol.com/buildgreen/ but have now moved to www.aecb.net, as a result the web site is kind of spread between the two addresses. Particularly worth checking out is the News page and the FAQ page (get to it via the 'News' page). For links to other information sources and contractors there's obviously their links page, but also check out the page about their Greener Building Products and Services Directory (a link to this is buried on the 'Join Now' application form). There are more links here and sample pages from the Directory - you may get lucky and find a contractor in your area. The AECB also produce a very good magazine called 'Building for a Future' as far as I know this is only available direct from them. You can get more info on the mag (and read some online extracts) from the 'Greener Building Products and Services Directory' page (see above). e-mail : info@aecb.net The Price Issue When singled out so-called 'eco-products' tend to be more expensive. One reason for this is because standard products are being produced en-masse on an industrial scale while 'eco-products' tend to be produced on a much smaller scale or imported from Europe resulting in relatively higher prices. Prices will fall as public and commercial interest increases. People in 'the business' with an interest and enlightened outlook towards eco-products will guarantee that the price will fall simply by using them. Existing trade suppliers will also move to stocking these products increasing availability and sales and in turn further price reductions. Furthermore as a consumer (includes government bodies and companies as well as private individuals) we tend to concentrate on the short term cost / value-for-money of a product or service - it's the bit that hurts ! Many energy saving products are only cost effective in the long term. However over their lifetime, genuine eco-products recoup the initial price difference many times over and equally if not more importantly they are less harmful to organisms and the environment and result in the use of less energy which equals less pollution. Breathing Constructions, Pore-Ventilation and Dynamic Insulation The main feature of breathing surfaces is that although they are waterproof they are not totally sealed the way a sheet of plastic is. Instead the surfaces are porous and so allow water vapour and air to pass through them while still providing a barrier to rain and wind (similar to a 'Gore-Tex' jacket). Traditional stone walls have always had this property however with a modern understanding of the processes involved we can ensure that the moisture always moves from the inside to the outside of the building and not give rise to any rot in the process. When it comes to the movement of air, however, it is preferable that it moves through the breathing surfaces from the outside to the inside. This will then mean that the air will carry heat (that would normally pass, by conduction, to the outside) back into the structure. A slightly lower pressure inside a building relative to the outside will cause this to happen. In a windy climate (eg. Scotland !) this is easy to achieve due to the 'Stack Effect' or by using an induction fan such as a savonious chimney cowl. If the climate is such that there is little or no wind then the use of a very small powered fan may be needed. A powered fan can also be used if a very constant airflow is required. Conventional building practice in Britain has reduced heat loss by conduction by increasing the levels of insulation used and improved the airtightness of buildings to reduce heat loss due to draughts. This sealed environment can often make people uncomfortable and could even be a causal factor in Sick Building Syndrome (see below). By returning to more natural and basic principles (allowing buildings' surfaces to breathe and using environmentally safer and non-toxic materials) the interior and exterior environments will both benefit. Sick Building Syndrome This can be attributed to a combination of the use of synthetic paints, emissions from furniture and carpets, poor air quality due to defective air conditioning, and bad lighting. For people living or working in the building this can mean allergies, headaches, lung disorders, and increased contagion of bacterial and viral conditions. For a company housing its employees in such a building this means a higher incidence of sickness among the work force and LOST MONEY ! Jump back to the top.