Green, eco, sustainable, low impact are all terms tagged onto building, but the definitions are often vague and this is an industry subject to its fair share of green wash.
Here we aim to pin our flag clearly to the mast, spelling out what our “green” really means.
What Green Building Means To Us
The use of materials that wherever possible are renewable, local, efficiently manufactured and minimally processed; coupled with minimal use of non-renewable materials.
Minimal wastage during the build process; with as much unusable material as possible being recycled.
Long service life – unless a structure is deliberately temporary, we can and should be designing buildings to last centuries, with consideration given to ease of repair and modification
An ecologically sensitive construction process
An end product that is efficient in terms of energy consumption (see the section on passivhaus).
Consideration given to renewable energy at the design phase (if relevant)
In any build there will be some tension between the competing properties of comfort/functionality, aesthetics and cost; adding green credentials to the mix does not have to add to that tension.
We would argue that by keeping to the criteria outlined above, one can achieve a comfortable, functional, beautiful building, without costing the Earth.
Jess Davidson
About the author
Former head sawyer and production manager at The Timber Co-op. In a past life Jess was a field archaeologist and also worked in historic building recording. Green wood working proved a gateway drug, and after carving a lot of spoons she segwayed into timber framing and saw milling. These days she splits her time between parenting, gardening and design work.
