Radical renovation to CarbonLite standards: Grove Cottage was built as a detached house in 1869 for a railway carriage inspector on a strip of development land alongside the rail route from Hereford to South Wales. In summer 2007, Simmonds Mills Architects began design work responding to a brief that required additional bedroom space, more practical domestic working and storage space and a better relationship between the habitable spaces and the garden to the east. This article, by Andy Simmonds (co-owner of the cottage and partner in Simmonds Mills), and Alan Clarke (services design) concentrates mainly on the refurbishment elements of the project.

What makes an eco-town?: Eco-towns have had a bad press and there has been some justifiable opposition to some of the proposals. It must be tempting for the government to scrap the whole thing and save some precious votes at the next election. But, says Sue Riddlestone, CEO of Bioregional, it‘s good that the government is sticking to its plans as we do need more inspiring examples showing how we will live and work in a sustainable future and that is what eco-towns could do for us.

Eco-minimalism revisited: Eco-minimalism, as applied to building design, is a phrase coined by the architect Howard Liddell, in an article that questioned the effectiveness of thoughtlessly applied eco-clichés such as micro wind turbines, photovoltaic panels (PV), heat pumps and reed beds1. Six years on and the clichés are thriving. Nick Grant, a long-time advocate, gives us his thoughts on this subject.

Airtightness and intelligent membranes: Uncontrolled air leakage from buildings is a major cause of energy loss and increasing CO2 emissions. It has long been established that airtightness is an essential part of creating a healthy, comfortable, energy efficient living environment. This has been acknowledged by the relatively recent introduction of airtightness standards to Technical Guidance Documents Part L in the UK and with the introduction of Energy Performance Certification for new buildings. Niall Crosson explains.

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Also:
Simulating debate! - a review of simulation software projects
The thermal upgrading the fabric of an existing building
Vaulted roofs
Green restoration in Scotland
A self built ecohouse


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