Self-Build using Recycled Materials

Following our great success with our experiment in which we built a fantastic work space for €44.95 out of recycled and reused materials , I received this comment in my inbox from the Architect Andy Burdon whose brains I pick occasionally specially when  I am looking for advice on building regulations or cutting edge green technology. I thought this comment  worthy of a blog post…

The problem with self-builders using recycled materials

“A major problem with the proposal to construct an extension constructed from recycled or  re-used materials is the legal requirement to comply with statutory requirements, primarily Planning Control and the Building Regulations. Understanding or interpreting these regulations and applying them to a self build construction may be beyond the expertise of aspiring self builders. There are several sources of self-help books or even “Wiki How” web pages that can guide prospective 5Kers through this maze of requirements and regulations.

However, the fundamental problem is how can one be certain the proposed building is compliance with the regulations and is structurally safe and sound? Traditional building techniques such as concrete foundations and block or brickwork walls are sufficiently proven to allow for safe construction , but in your project these components and techniques are likely to be too expensive. Given the budget allowance, alternative construction techniques may be required.

These questions lead inevitably towards the necessity to seek relevant expert advice and guidance, before and during and sometimes even after construction. For the most part , this service can be supplied by a competent Architect or Engineer, however, it is unlikely that this service will be free of charge. With a stated budget limit of €5K, this may be a problem.

The use of second-hand, or re-used components present difficulties in terms of quality control for structural components of any extension. Without independent testing and certainty it is unlikely that a structural engineer would be satisfied with the use of reused components. It must be remembered that any professional involved with the project is taking on a “duty of care” and would be liable if anything were to go awry.

A solution to these impediments may be to employ an Architect/ Engineer/ Supplier/ Fabricator with the skill , training and relevant insurances to design and supervise the installation of a low-budget structural “frame” set onto designed foundations and made of specified components , which can then be safely infilled with floors, walls, windows and a roof formed from reused or recycled materials as required by the aspiring €5Ker. This is a similar, but more site-specific solution than the use of a cargo container cut away to allow for various uses, and it avoids the expensive cost of cranes ! Although a cost will arise for this service, the ability then to proceed re using / recycling materials becomes a viable option providing appropriate materials are used. I believe this option offers great potential and should be further investigated.

Best wishes with the project

Andy Burdon

Thank you Andy, While I recognise the importance of a strictly regulated, compliant construction sector, it does as you say put a huge financial burden on our miniscule budget in terms of affording competent professionals. Your suggestion does however allow us to be creative and experimental insofar as infill material is concerned and attempt to save costs that way.

In this excellent article from selfbuild.ie Dublin architect Tim Lavin weighs up the advantages and disadvantages of tried and tested components such as Timber Frame, SIPs(Structurally Insulated Panels), Insulated concrete Forms (ICF), Glass, Steel and Strawbale to construct the frame. The article outlines construction methods and planning permission for attaching an extension to your house as a self builder. Well worth a read!

We welcome any advice or thoughts that any of you out there might have of how we might work experimentally and creatively within the constraints of our budget and bureaucracy!

They did it in Brighton!

Cast your eyes on these images of The Brighton Waste House, the first permanent building in the UK to be constructed from waste, surplus material and discarded plastics, all under full building regulations and with planning permission! Two thousand recycled and weatherproof carpet tiles clad the exterior facade while old vinyl banners are used as internal vapor control layers. Foundations made from ground-granulated blast-furnace slag support a framework comprising salvaged plywood beams, columns and timber joists rescued from a nearby demolished house. Old plastic razors, denim jeans, videocassettes, and 20,000 toothbrushes were inserted into the walls as insulation To improve energy efficiency and thermal conductivity, the builders constructed rammed earth walls out of chalk waste and clay. Whats more exciting is that the project engages local community and serves as an open research project Find out more about this exciting project by BBM architects here

Our fabulous Shed cost €44.95 to make!

I heard a frightening statistic recently about waste generated on construction sites – for every five houses built, one house will go to landfill. This linear process of take-make-dispose is anathema to the ethos of the 5k extension project. So when we started building a shed at the back of the garden a few weeks ago we decided to make the shed a project in itself: it was to be constructed as far as possible out of reclaimed materials or stuff diverted from landfill.

Building a structure out of found objects takes time and patience – learning to wait, to pause. You have to wait until the right possible material turns up, then you have to work it into the design or adapt the design around it.

The shed is almost complete, and it is  a BEAUTIFUL structure not least due to the exquisite craftsmanship of our expert carpenter Krzysztof Piwowarczyk, but also because of the abundance of good intention around it.

And we fulfilled the brief for the project – almost all of the materials were waste or surplus, reused or destined for landfill.  Much of it came via ReCreate, a reuse initiative in Dublin that takes end-of-line and surplus stock from businesses to repurpose as art materials. In fact our total outlay for materials came to the grand total of €44.95.

Here is how we did it.

The framework for the building was made from timber from discarded pallets, and  MDF and pine supports, which had been part of an installation by the artist Willie Doherty in the Kerlin Gallery. The gallery had chosen to recycle the material via ReCreate rather than dumping it, and we were also able to reuse the insulation they had used to soundproof the exhibition.

And yes MDF is not suitable for outdoor use, so soon after it was put up, it was painted using ends of paint cans that Krzysztof had squirrelled away from previous jobs he had worked on rather than dumping.

The pine board sheets used to clad the front of the shed came from a time when the Celtic Tiger roared and people did not care how much excess they ordered. Krzysztof had stashed them away and kept them dry for a couple of years. He routed a v-groove in them and we had to paint them urgently with wood preserver (which we had to buy rather than find) as time and constant downpours were against us. It pains me to say it but the black wood preserver paint cost €9.90.

Two exterior walls were then clad with rolls of a foil-backed underlay material stapled to the MDF. The underlay material also came from the benevolent ReCreate. Unfortunately we had to shell out €5 for the duct tape which was used to cover the staples used to attach the material to the painted MDF to prevent them from rusting and to waterproof the holes – Krzsystof thinks of everything!

The foil-backed flooring underlay was also used as the roofing material.  We are however up against the weather in Ireland, which is unforgiving when it comes to damp and leaks. The felt adhesive which blew our budget was used to glue the foil-backed underlay down, and we then painted over it to further waterproof the roof. This was the cause of ructions between Krzysztof and me, because he spent €20 on a tin of felt adhesive for the roof.  Don’t get me wrong, my family was not going to go hungry on account of it, but I was convinced we could have found ends of the stuff in tins all over the sheds of Dublin, and thereby adhered to the experiment of building entirely from re-use.

Local hero Ken Milofsky from Woodworkers and Hobbies in Terenure, who was clearing out a storage space in his premises, supplied us with a big batch of chipboard off-cuts which clad the internal walls. He also gave us some unsaleable end-of-line laminate flooring which was used to make a ceiling. We scavenged some extra pre-used rockwool insulation from a refurbishment job that I was working on to insulate the ceiling.

ReCreate supplied us with perspex off-cuts which Krzysztof used to make the windows

Pre-used sliding wardrobe track holders were used to seal and protect the roof.

We got off-cuts of aluminium-covered Foamex® from Recreate.  Krzysztof used them as trims and fascias for extra weather protection

The shed is functioning now as a much-needed workshop for Krzysztof – and how he deserves it! He put his heart and soul, meticulous attention to detail and many hours into the making of it.

It is wonderful and motivating to have this lovely shed to showcase the skills and the possibilities available to us, as well as proving how collaborative efforts and the ground-up movement of freecycling and reuse networks can provide a very real alternative to unsustainable over-consumption.

In a sense we have almost fulfilled the 5k extension experiment – it would be within our €5000 budget to transform this lovely structure, with some clever interior design, into a living space with a bathroom, kitchen and sleeping area. However, because the designated purpose of the building is a shed it is exempt from regulatory issues and the crippling costs of hiring qualified certifiers. These are the issues which pose a real challenge to the 5k project.

The materials we got for free:

• Pallets                                                                 
• Pre-used MDF
• Laminate floor underlay
• Pre-used Sliding wardrobe Track holders
• Pineboard
• Perspex-offcuts
• Aluminium covered Foamex board offcuts
• End of line Laminate and Solid Bamboo Flooring
• Laminated chipboard off cuts
• Pre-used Rockwool Insulation
• Plastic sheeting
• Election Posters
• Unused ends of paint
• Pre-used lighting fixtures
• Nails, screws and staples (from Krzysztof’s stash)

The stuff that blew the budget:

• Felt adhesive.€20.00
• Black shed paint €9.95
• Duct tape     €5.00
• 2 pairs of hinges for the door €5 per pair  €10.00

 

My favourite shopping destination!

 

Read more in the post Our Recycled Shed takes Shape

A Hive of Activity

Becoming a foster parent was one of the motivating factors behind the 5k extension project. But as my current living space is too small for the authorities to consider me eligible, I have agreed as an interim measure to foster a hive of bees for my friend and collaborator Karin Stierle.

It has been wonderful having the bees in the garden – so far they are much easier to mind than teenagers. I have invited Karin, the Bee Maven, to share her expertise about this particular hive and all things bees….

Bees in the Garden

 Anyone who has been reading the 5k Extension Blog will know that a number of weeks ago Krzysztof made a beautiful beehive for Natasha’s garden. We used the hive as a lure or bait hive to attract a swarm. To do this we put a few frames of wax foundation and a few drops of lemongrass oil, the wax foundation attracts the bees but it is the lemongrass oil which I am told is similar to the pheromone of the queen bee that is the real attraction.  The plan was to wait for a swarm to arrive! Well!? As with all things to do with nature things don’t always go to plan, my plan that is, nature has it’s own way of making things happen.

 I have two hives of bees in Wicklow and as the swarming season approached I began my swarm control procedures, all was well and going to plan when on one of the hottest days of the year to date a hive swarmed unexpectedly.  Luckily they alighted to a nearby tree and I was able to capture them. So this is how there are now bees in Natasha’s garden, the swarm from my hive was brought to town and is now residing in the 5k Extension garden.

 The trip to town was traumatic for these bees as it was a very hot day and a good number did not survive the trip, yet I am hoping that a sufficient number did survive to begin a new life in town. The question now arises did the queen survive the trip? As you will know a colony of bees must have a queen to continue to exist.  I will leave the bees for a few days; I will look at them during the week and try to determine what to do next.

We will keep you posted.

KS”

A High Five from across the Globe

When I speak of my engagement with the universe – I do it largely tongue-in-cheek, but this project has thrown up the most extraordinary coincidences that engage me on a spiritual level, dare I say it.

I was feeling somewhat rudderless a couple of weeks ago, while waiting for the universe to provide some suitable material for our shed, which we are trying to build out of waste. I do not do waiting well and this definitely unsettled me. As a misguided response I headed to the internet to a site I find fascinating called Fiverr®. which describes itself as “The place for people to share things they’re willing to do for $5.”

I have used this online service once before to edit the sound quality on a video I made for my blog. It was a simple and hassle free service for which I would happily have paid a local teenage techie €20. This time I searched for what was available by way of architectural services  and came across all manner of people from far flung places in the world, offering CAD drawings or model-making or architectural renderings for as little as €5. When I happened upon a “gig” http://www.fiverr.com/sylversurfer/inspire-your-architecture-and-urban-design-through-critique  I thought “Yeah why not?”

I wrote to the person offering this service and asked him to read the blog and put a frame on it. I told him about my big wish to design a low cost housing solution which could have beneficial implications beyond my own project. I sent €5 into the ether…

and seven days later I received the following e-mail

“Humble thoughts on the Community Extension Initiative

Dear Natasha,

Firstly, what a great collective effort. I think one of the wonderful things I am taking away from your blog and photos is the collaborative and warm community effort that has emerged from the self-imposed frugality of the initiative. I have advised recently the rebuilding efforts in Tacloban Philippines, after the devastation of Typhoon Hainan. The great takeaway for me was not so much in the technology or logistics of reproving homes and shelter; every community will find a way with its budgets, skills, and local materials. Instead I learned that every community needs first and foremost to focus on jobs and livelihoods.


It reminds me of the experience in Chile after the 2008 earthquake. Relief organizations asked the affected what they needed first. One would have assumed housing. But in fact, housing was fourth out of four things for which the communities asked. Dead last! Number one: boats. To get out there and resume fishing and earning livelihoods for their families. Two: schools. Not because of any overriding educational mission, it was to give their kids a place to stay during the day so BOTH parents could go out to make a living. Three: policy support for small/medium enterprises. So 3 out of 4 were jobs related.

So why the partial tangent? I see from your project not only passion about achieving the technology of a low-cost extension, but also passion about the community that has come together and the catalyst of their own initiatives in urban farming, recycling, art, bee tending, baking (the snacks looked lovely).

Perhaps the frame or vision lies as much in reconnecting with our village-like intertwining of skills and craft, of community and barter, of shared effort and reward. We could very simply order a prefab made in China and probably delivered and assembled for well under EUR5k. Indeed 5k can buy a whole house for some families in the Philippines or India.

But instead you have invigorated a social awakening of neighborly pursuits, of learning and making tangible these academic lessons of sustainability and resilience and less-is-more.

May I humbly suggest: that if you have the ability to do so, that your documentation include not only the lessons of the construction technique, sourcing, labour saving, etc., but also the lessons of synergies with community initiatives and skills. And these would not be hard and fast prescriptions for, say, materials chosen. Indeed, your own thoughtfulness in evaluating potential materials (whether cardboard, charred timber, or plastic) is a far more valuable model of methodology for someone else in the world, than the specific decision that is appropriate for this particular project.

In my architecture school, our ceilings and systems were all exposed, to help us learn as students of building. Perhaps the life of the project after completion, as a learning tool and storytelling aid, can also reveal the techniques, questions and passions that gave it life, and the life it gave to the community.

All the very best,

Sylvester Wong

Is the world not a wonderful place? That someone on the opposite end of the globe would take the time for such a considered response is both moving and inspiring. When I asked him for permission to quote him, he gave it with the same generosity as his time!

And maybe the universe did conspire to send him in my way? I have pulled the tongue from my cheek and have even started wondering if there is a special significance about the number 5:…5kextension, Fiverr, my house number 104 which adds up to 5…Any students of the Kaballah out there to help me out?..

In the meantime our shed is near completion – the ancestors delivered via the angel Ken Milofsky of our local DIY store www.woodworkers.ie  the most fantastic end-of-line materials, given with good intention, which will finish the interior of the shed! So far we have spent a grand total of €36 to build it. It has become a work of pure craft and beauty.

And we have no choice but to wait for the worker bees to choose to persuade their queen that our bee lure will make a lovely new home..

Thank you Sylvester from www.catalyscity.com. You are  welcome in my backyard anytime, and long may you continue your brave work championing communities and design, while staying unbeholden to the corporate world!

Bloom Fringe @ the 5kextension

Bloom Fringe – which is a spin-off of the hugely successful garden festival Bloom –  came together with the 5k extension project for a day of collaboration, creativity, sowing seeds, inspiration and connectivity. The sun shone on us too…

 Thank you Joanne Betty Conlon from Pixelated and Ned Costello for the photos. Thanks to Karin Stierle for the recycled flower garden and for sharing her passion and vast knowledge on beekeeping, Thank you to my excellent neighbours who opened their gardens and in doing that, opening  a window into their souls.

Thanks to everyone who attended and shared their thoughts and ideas..

 

Our Recycled Shed takes Shape

I am a scavenger! I have been one since I was broke at college, when I put my salvation in the hands of the Hare Krishnas for a couple of hours in return for one of their delicious meals, while my ancestors buried in the ghettos of eastern Europe reeled in their graves.

These days I never walk by a skip without investigating it for potential treasures. My house is almost entirely furnished with cast-offs.

My ancestors must have forgiven me by now because in the last couple of weeks we have been blessed with extraordinary bounty  delivered by wonderful coincidences…

Krzysztof’s sketch of the shed

A few weeks ago Krzysztof, carpenter, scavenger-of-note and genius upcycler, had to vacate the workshop facility where he stored tools and the odds and ends of materials that he had been collecting for his various projects. I suggested he use the end of my garden to make a shed for himself. The deal was that I would provide the site, he would build the shed, and it would be used both for his storage needs and for any materials needed for the 5k extension.

We decided to make the shed a project in itself: it was to be constructed as far as possible out of reclaimed materials or stuff diverted from landfill.

So in telling the story of our shed so far, I am like a six-year-old child, excitedly prefacing each turn of events with “And then…”

And then … we got a delivery of pallet wood which would otherwise have been discarded, from a pal of Krzysztof’s at the factory where he used to work.

And then … my neighbour Liam, an urban farmer who uses my garden for his overflow (he needs more space, I don’t have the urge to garden), emptied the compost bin to fill his vegetable beds.

The concrete blocks from the now-empty compost bin were used to build foundations for the shed, and the space was mapped with pallet wood.

And then… Francis drops by to chat about his wife’s 50th birthday and leaves behind some heavy-duty plastic sheeting, that he is no longer using. Essential for protecting the structure from the relentless Irish weather!

 

And then it all starts pouring in… and not just the rain.  Bloom Fringe showed an interest in our project and introduced me to Dara from ReCreate who run a recycling initiative that takes end of line and surplus stock from businesses to reuse as art materials. Dara mentioned that a gallery that they collaborate with was in the process of dismantling an art installation and did we want any MDF and wooden supports to which I said YES!

 

And then … my neighbour Dave who happens to work at the aforementioned art gallery heard that I was taking the MDF and offered me the Rockwool insulation that was used to soundproof the installation as well. I said YES! The hero Dara from Recreate collected it for us even though they wouldn’t normally stock that type of insulation. And this, along with the pallet wood, gave us the bones of a shed.

And then.. it rained and rained but between the showers we had lots of visitors and helpers and cake!

 

I really like the look of the shed at the moment – it makes me nostalgic for my South African childhood.

And this is how we stand…waiting for the ancestors to do their heroic work of intercepting good stuff on its way to landfill and sending materials our way to finish the walls, and floor. We are thinking about using the election posters to make the roof tiles (best use for them!). Any suggestions welcome.

Lots more to come: My pal Karin is putting a bee lure in the garden to try to coax in some local bees. Krzysztof is making it from found materials.. Work continues on the shed…

Bloom Fringe comes to the 5kextension

On the 31st May we are opening up the garden between 3pm and 5pm see www.bloomfringe.com  for details

• The Project Architects will discuss their response to the project brief
• Krzysztof will show how he will reuse discarded materials to build a structure
• Information on bee keeping
• Beautiful sculptural flowers and insects produced by Karin Stierle from scraps courtesy of ReCreate

Read Liam Patersons’ post about his garden efforts in the  Neighbourly Garden. Liam is an avid gardener who helps out and shares a space in my garden- You can peek at his own edible front garden Bloom Fringe day too

 

Please have a look at 

Home

. The Community Reuse Network  is the all Island representative body for community based reuse, recycling and waste prevention organisations. 

A multimedia message sent from Krzysztof to me, We will forgive him the spelling, it’s not many of you who can pronounce the Polish for “extension”, let alone spell “przedtuzenie domu”

 

Barn Raising in Dublin City

barn raising n. A social event in which members of a community assist in the building of a new barn.

I am passionate about architecture, in particular innovative housing solutions; I am also fascinated by building techniques both cutting-edge and traditional which can help to address housing issues. Above all, I am profoundly passionate about the transformative power of people and community. The provision of shelter (metaphorically and literally) is the common thread binding these passions.

I have met the most extraordinary of ordinary people over the years. People with whom I have created a space in which I have found myself held and supported and sheltered.

That idea of shelter or the metaphorical barn – a space that holds the tools, the food, the means to explore, to collaborate, to develop and to create, is behind my intention in this project.

The neighbourhood I live in carries a long tradition of community collaboration. The houses were built by the Guinness Brewery for their workers with the enlightened realisation that  providing decent housing, and attending to the welfare of workers would result in worker satisfaction and greater productivity.

Many of the residents of my estate are former Guinness workers and their families, which identifies and binds the local community in a stronger way than other neighbourhoods. Indeed my darling neighbours Jimmy and Joan Smith, who hold an often-used spare key for me and my forgetful teenage daughters, and keep a constant eye on my house, were the original residents of the estate. Jimmy was part of the construction team which built the houses and was himself a Guinness worker.

jimmy and Joan Smith outside the communal stores

Both Jimmy and Archie Kelly  – Guinness worker and community activist – have many stories testifying to the strength of the community, with tales of families looking out for one another, shared facilities, social events, and gardening competitions. They each hold a valuable personal archive of good and hard times in a fascinating period of Dublin’s social history. The legacy of which lives on in our community stores: a resource which allows the residents of our estate to borrow all manner of tools from a communal shed for a small annual fee.

Archie Kelly ,original resident , Guinness worker and community activist

It is this sense of community, local and online, that I hope to tap into in our 5k extension experiment. It is inspired in part by barn raisings and other vernacular building traditions in which communities come together when one of their number requires the diverse set of skills and enormous effort needed to build a barn—skills and effort no one member of the community alone could possess. This comes with the understanding that the favour will be returned.

I am hosting this project, insofar as I am the provider of a space (my garden). I will be collaborating with people who carry different skills. It will also be a personal journey in trying to balance letting go with sharing my skills, in not determining the space, but curating it.

In documenting the process, I hope to share many voices, not only my own, and to provide a platform for our architects, our team, the local community and the wider wonderful knowledge filled virtual community.

Krzysztof Piwowarczyk, the team’s master carpenter discusses how he built his house in Poland with the help of his neighbours in this video. 

Echoes of the tradition can still be found in other community building projects, such as house-building and renovation carried out by Habitat for Humanity, and the strong volunteering spirit of the Irish is evident in the brilliant work done by The Niall Mellon Township Trust in South Africa. Maybe our little project might help develop a conversation around renewing a social agenda of living simply, collaborating and collectively empowering communities…

Meanwhile, there is activity in the garden – Krzysztof has started building a shed at the back of the garden entirely out of found materials, (before he put his back out!). The architects are about to publish their first blog piece, the apple trees are in blossom and I will continue to keep you updated.

 

 

 

A Plastic Extension?

The philosopher Alain de Botton describes plastic as the most “uncompromising and contemporary of materials.”

It might seem strange that such a contemporary material carries a nostalgic significance for me, stirring memories of my pre-adolescent childhood, when I showed some potential to be a competitive swimmer. A time, before I was steered away through self-consciousness and the lure of boys, I would train twice daily in a swimming pool under a vaulted shelter of poly-carbonate plastic. The smells of chlorine and chemicals and the condensation from steam rising and meeting the cool early morning air at the membrane of this plastic temple, provided a micro climate where we could swim, meditative and quiet, held womblike in the water. A space somewhat toxic but where potential was infinite.

It is not surprising therefore that Polycarbonate plastic is a contender for material of choice for the 5k extension.

The possibilities with plastic are infinite , as it is a material remarkable in its ability to be extruded, moulded, cast, or poured into anything – for example clothing fibers, packaging etc. Product designers bravely use it to make high-design objects. In construction and architecture however, it is most often associated with garage lean-tos, roof lights or walk ways.

The Irish architecture firm Architecture Republic elevated the industrial use of the material in The Plastic House

All photos of Plastic House, Architecture Republic by Paul Tierney

In this renovation project a small Dublin house is excavated and a space is created. Inserted into the space is the polycarbonate and steel cruciform living space. This innovative project fits seamlessly into the Dublin streetscape.

I am neither an architect nor an engineer but my investigations into using polycarbonate sheeting as a vertical wall option show that it can be a viable option for our project:

The 25mm multiwall sheet is lightweight, with a high stiffness to weight ratio, translucent, durable and damage resistant. It is up to 200 times stronger than glass fire resistant and self extinguishing.

Cost effective: 1/3 to 1/2 less than the cost of insulated glass. A 7m by 2.1m 25mm sheet is available in the Republic of Ireland for €335.00. Because the sheets are so long (up to 13 m) they  can run ridge to eave in one continuous piece, thereby saving on structural materials and installation time. In terms of energy saving , the R-Values of the 25mm multi-wall polycarbonate are as high as 3.78, with better insulating properties than triple-glazed or argon filled high performance double-glazed insulated glass.

While being seduced by my emotional and memory response as well as the exciting thought of a glowing light filled box in my garden, I do need to think about the tremendous negative impact plastic might have on the environment and on our health.

In the interest of ‘sustainability’, recycling of plastic has become much more efficient. As well as this, levels of toxicity in plastics are being addressed by manufacturers. However the production of plastic still requires huge resources and is polluting; the potential health risks are still not fully understood, and; the indefinite and (mostly) non-biodegradable qualities of plastic ensure that, as a material, it is effectively immune to meaningful decay. All of this opens a much larger debate on ‘sustainability‘ and whether the use of a petrochemical generated material can be considered “sustainable” by virtue of the fact it is recycled?

These questions need robust answers going forward, Plastic is like the adolescent in the world of  material- malleable, brash, still in the process of developing and being refined. It does not command our trust, like wood and stone or even concrete which has been allowed to develop since Ancient Roman times. Like an adolescent plastic lurks about on building sites in damp-proof membranes, rawl plugs and PVA’s. Giving the material exposure and pushing architectural boundaries as seen in the examples on this page, will go a long way towards opening up the debate, assisting us make informed choices, and spurring manufacturers and regulatory bodies to further their investigations.

If we do decide to use this material on the 5k extension, I am sure our architects on the project will face regulatory and structural obstacles. This project is experimental, why not acknowledge the adolescent that is within us all and test some boundaries?

In the meantime relish in the brave and uncompromising use of plastic in the following images:

The structure pictured above is the Oribe Tea House Pavilion by Kengo Kuma.  It is constructed of corrugated plastic sheets hollowed out to create a serene cocoon-like space within.

The Hojo-an after 800 Years Pavillion by Kengo Kuma

Serpentine Pavilion by Alvaro Siza Panes of polycarbonate fill in the squares of the grid Solar panels in the center of each roof panel soak up power and are used to illuminate the pavilion at dusk

 The Plastic House of Lodz, Poland designed by Moomoo Architects. It is  clad in Thermoplan  a plastic roofing material.

AL1 Architektinnen – Low energy housing, Wienerwald 2012. Via, photos (C) Clemens Franke.

Plasticamente Pavilion by Riccardo Giovanetti.  The 130 square meter structure is made from shiny, white, plastic disks and houses an exhibition for children about plastics and recycling.

I have recently found out that even Bees Do It… Read this article on Motherboard about bees building nests with our recycled plastic. 

Have you built with plastic? Are you thinking about it? Let us know your opinions and experiences..?

Building with Sandbags

Sandbags have been in the news recently, we have seen them piled high as a desperate measure to help contain the devastating floods that have been plaguing Ireland in the past few weeks

Coincidentally, in the midst of all of this, my brother Graeme Labe who designs and develops Eco Tourist safari camps around the world, sent me some images of a project in the Serengeti Wildlife Park that he designed using sandbags as a construction material.

Specially formulated geo-fabric bags, filled with sand and stacked between a steel beam framework

Cladding of the beams with wire mesh and either plaster, timber or plasterboard.

sandbags on floor level

The finished building, clad with corrugated iron

SandBag Building

The idea of using sandbags as a construction material for ordinary housing is fairly new. It was developed as a complete building system over the past fifteen years in South Africa as a cost-effective way to assist South Africa in its endeavour to house millions of homeless people. (Construction costs can be reduced by up to 40%). It has since gained currency amongst people looking for an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional building practice.

I have recently been in touch with Rodney Wall, a South African Eco Home specialist, He is passionate about the benefits of this building system, he has used it on many builds and community projects and is working on creating a totally carbon neutral system. Both he and Graeme believe the this method of building is suitable for all climates including Ireland.

Could it work for The 5k Extension?

Well, I could haul in all of you who have offered to help  to do most of the tough work by filling sandbags!

Graeme has a concern about the lack of sand freely available on the site and the ensuing costs of having to buy sand, but I reassured him, by pointing to the fact that so many builders and landscapers discard so much sand to landfill in Ireland. We would just need to put the word out that we would happily take their leftover sand rather than them having to pay to dump it.

The biggest negative in using this method for my project is the width of the walls which are thicker than brick. Because the space in my back yard is so tight, I am looking for the thinnest possible building material.

Rodney Wall of Eco-Steps outlined the benefits of sandbag building to me.

Benefits of the Eco-Beam Sandbag Building System

Build Quality

• Excellent thermal stability. Due to its high thermal mass, the structures are cool in summer and warm in winter. Millions of small air spaces between the grains of sand are responsible for good thermal insulation.
• Superior sound-absorbing properties which help to provide a measure of privacy in close-quarter living or within the house between rooms.
• Breathable, vapour permeable, “natural” walls for comfort and healthy living
• Wind and water proof. The security and fire protection properties of the walls are also excellent.

Reduced Construction Costs

• The weight of the construction materials makes transporting easier and cheaper while allowing for construction in areas without adequate road infrastructure. (e.g. 1,500 eco bags can fit in the boot of a car; this is the equivalent of 4,500 bricks).
• Unskilled labour can be used to fill and stack the sandbags, further reducing labour costs.
• Reduced construction time
•  The only “wet” trade is plastering and no mechanical tools, equipment, skills or electricity is needed on site.
• Most specialized trades like electrical and plumbing can be completed concurrently with the initial build, further reducing construction time.
• Minimal building waste or losses on site

Reduced environmental impact

The system has a low carbon footprint, as very little energy is consumed in the process of designing, manufacturing or building a kit.

• The carbon dioxide emission of one square meter of sandbag wall is more than 95% less than that of a conventional brick wall.
• On site construction requires no mechanical or electrically operated equipment.
• Sand can be found locally nearly everywhere around the world, in some regions even directly on the construction site.
• The energy required for making the polypropylene bags can virtually be negated as the bags are very thin and contain a small amount of raw material.
• The same is true for the steel used in the manufacture of ecoBEAMS.
• If natural material like hemp is used for the bags instead of a geo-textile it can be reduced even more
• There is no energy consumption as in producing bricks or producing cement
• If natural material like hemp is used for the bags instead of a geo-textile the carbon footprint can be reduced even more.

Completed Staff Quarters and Utility buildings at the Kuria Tented Camp, built using Sandbags

Tented Canvas Structures

Our experiment the €5000 extension is up against many obstacles – not least coming in on a miniscule budget or having to deal with planning and bureaucratic issues , but compared with the issues my brother Graeme Labe faces in some of his  projects, We can count our blessings.

I have listened in awe to some of  Graemes’ descriptions about having to survey land which is so remote it is almost unmapped; His having to drive, camp and hike, with the company of a Maasai warrior for days in order to assess the viability of a site; Being vulnerable to wild animals and vehicle damage… And that is before the project work begins!

In this article we are looking at an interesting project that Graeme and his company FTK Design and Development  were commissioned to design. It is an Eco  Camp situated in the Wogakurya Hills in the north of the Serengeti National Park, in Tanzania.

The brief given to Graeme was to develop a tented Camp, environmentally friendly both in design and the use of materials. The accommodation units were to incorporate large glass frontage. The interiors of the tents were to have separate divisions for the bedroom and bathrooms

To get to this camp is no mean feat. It is located a 12 to 14 hour truck drive from the closest town Arusha , so logistics and construction materials had to be meticulously considered.                             

Roll Form Steel and Canvas Construction

A Contemporary take on a Tented Safari Camp

Tented camps are traditionally built on wooden base structures with either mild steel or wooden upright poles.  The canvas fly sheet is placed on the frame-work and canvas body is hung from this frame sitting on the wooden deck.

In this project, however, there was a major concern with regard to the maintenance of the wooden substructure due to the high occurrence of termites. Graeme resolved this issue by making a steel substructure to lay the floor on.

 

Graeme decided to use the same steel structure for both the superstructure and the roof structure of the tent. The steel frames were then clad in canvas and where hard walls were required the frames were clad in plywood. The choice of using steel was  motivated by many reasons:

• Lightweight and easily transportable
• Environmentally sound: Eco-Steel is made from Recycled Galvanized Steel
• It can be used with a combination of multiple finishing materials.
• More design possibilities than traditional tent building techniques

Using the roll form steel he was able to design and build large multi leveled tented units which otherwise would not have been possible using traditional tent building techniques.

The lighting and electrical design also had to fulfill the eco ethos of the Camp with all the Camp’s electricity being supplied through Solar power and central solar water boilers

To carry the theme through FTK Design and Development were also contracted to do the interiors of the Lodge.

For a more in-depth look at the development of this project click here

A Canvas Tent for The 5k Extension?

Graeme, the Eco Design Warrior, assures me that a tented structure could work in my damp, back garden in Dublin city. He does not recommend Rollform Steel for my project as that would be outside of our budget. He suggests looking in scrap yards for disused steel H beams,or timber to create the skeleton structure.

He advises that once we know the R-Value requirements, we can insulate between two sheets of canvas, with the most economical and effective insulation possible. (I have seen so many half used rolls of insulation on skips, it shouldn’t take long to amass enough) and then join them together. Or we could insulate between the canvas and economical plaster board to have a rigid interior wall.

The external Canvas would need to be water and fungal resistant, with ,a fire-retardant. Graeme suggested a teflon treated canvas called Ferrari. I made some enquiries from a company in the UK called Canvasman. They recommended  a product VIP-PVC_FR, which is available in many colours and comes in a width of 2.5 meters available at £15.12/linear meter so for 20 meters it could cost £302.00.

I wonder if we may be glamping in the back garden yet?

Have a look as well at my friend Francis Fullens’ company C I Structures , whose large high tensile framed membrane structures are dotted around Ireland. i have offered him my garden to build one..He has not responded..

Anyway, have a browse through the images below, and try not be too envious of Graeme Labe , who gets to hang out and work in locations like this one.

Kuria Hills Tented Camp