Articles

Design approach: wall insulation

Robert — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 17:57:24 +0000

Retro-fitting insulation to the walls of an existing building is a tricky subject, with much of the theory yet to be substantiated by real-world experience. However, the general consensus seems to be that external wall insulation (EWI) is the preferred option. The key issue is the movement of moisture within the building fabric. For EWI, as long as the insulation material itself is vapour-permeable enough, any moisture within the wall will find its way to the outside.

Sash windows in eco-houses

Robert — Sat, 31 Aug 2013 17:47:25 +0000

Sash windows in eco-houses: two things that you might not automatically associate with one another. The rationale is discussed in this article.

Design approach: ventilation

Robert — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 21:44:16 +0000

The topic of ventilation and air flows in dwellings has not, unlike with commercial premises, been given much consideration until recently. House-building methods have traditionally led to what has become known as "ventilation by accident": in other words, there is enough air-flow through the building as a result of unintended leakiness of the fabric, that specific consideration of ventilation has not been needed. This has only significantly changed in the two most recent editions of the building regulations.

Design approach: rainwater harvesting

Robert — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Rainwater harvesting seems like an obvious thing to do to me - capturing the rain that is inevitably going to fall on top of our buildings seems like a even more of a no-brainer than capturing the sunshine that reaches our roofs.

Design approach: fire safety

Robert — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 21:49:01 +0000

To explain the thinking behind specifying a fire sprinkler system in the design. Sprinkler systems are common in commercial/industrial premises, and in other countries they are used in residential too - but not (yet) here in the UK. They're actually very simple - a tank with pump constantly "primed", and heads that open at high heat. False discharges are almost non-existent, and only the head(s) in the room where the fire is will open - not, as is commonly thought, the whole system. There's no complex electronic control or detection required.