It’s a Material World
Mar 29th, 2010 by Giovanna
For the THIRD instalment in Oliver Heath’s eco-refurb diary read on…
If refurbishing a home wasn’t complicated enough we now have to choose our materials with extreme care and attention. You could see this as a limitation but for me it’s an opportunity to create a style that embodies the philosophies of sustainability.
Luckily there are ever more interesting materials to choose from as I found out when designing the Eco home exhibition at the Geffrye Museum in East London. It struck me that when designing eco homes there are masculine and feminine sides to consider. The “masculine” focuses on the technical aspects involved in making the home more efficient and practical things like new boilers, water-efficient toilets and A-rated appliances. By contrast the “feminine” element is about creating a beautiful and nurturing home. Think fabrics, furniture and dressings.
You could see this as the eternal struggle between form and function - and to create a home that is both efficient and a great place to live these two need to find a balance. Kitchen work surfaces and wall paints are both good examples of materials where form and function come together to create the perfect solution: they are durable and good-looking.
As a general rule materials should be:
· Technology-led, allowing a low-energy (and low-carbon) lifestyle, being either produced with low levels of energy or helping to cut energy use in the home, e.g. insulation
· From sustainable renewable sources. Think wood, wool, and cork
· Have low toxin levels. Why would we knowingly put poisons into our family homes?
· Made from recycled or recyclable materials
And of course any materials on show should be beautiful, allowing us to create exciting visual and textural contrasts.
With these thoughts in mind I have been working on a palette of materials with good environmental and eco chic style credentials. Here’s a selection of some of the exciting materials I’ve chosen for my eco refurb:
· Sweet chestnut – Locally sourced in Sussex, it comes in short strips that are beautifully hand-jointed together. We are cladding a section of the front façade in long vertical lengths of the material (about 15cm wide). In time this material weathers to a soft silver sheen and requires no additional protective coatings making it very low maintenance. www.in-wood.co.uk
· Insulative render - To supplement the cavity wall insulation I’m wrapping the house in an innovative lightweight white render coat improving the u-value of its fabric, helping to keep it cosy and warm. www.thermilate.com
· FSC floors - It’s important that my floors have come from a sustainable
source and of course that they look great. These 22cm-wide engineered oak boards (perfect for under-floor heating) are wire-brushed then coated in a white oil and a grey finishing coat to bring out the oak’s grain and create a textured matt finish. I went to visit Reeve Flooring’s factory recently and was really impressed with their hand-finishing skills and relatively low costs. www.reeveflooring.com
· Glass stone work surfaces - Known as Resilica, they are made from 85% crushed recycled glass in a solvent-free resin. We’ve specified a mixture of blue- and turquoise-coloured glass with small mirrored flecks to give it a jewel-like
sparkle. I love Eight Inches work and their surfaces (made locally) are just incredible. www.eightinch.co.uk
· Natural paints – Earthborn’s claypaints are a breath of fresh air in the home, as they contain no volatile organic compounds- the solvent used in conventional paints that give them that freshly painted smell but which can also contribute to breathing difficulties. Earthborn use natural oils as solvents. This allows walls to breathe and soak in excess moisture, preventing damp and mould. www.earthbornpaints.co.uk
· Natural slate tiles - Our bathroom floor will have natural slate tiles cut from UK quarries, which require no firing and minimal levels of transport compared to European, South American or Far Eastern versions. The silver green tiles we’re specifying have a wonderful grain and texture to them adding real character to our bathroom. www.kirkstone.com
There’s no denying that it takes more time to put together a comprehensive selection of sustainable materials. But if it’s an Eco home you’re after, the decision-making process should follow right through from the exterior fabric of your home down to the smallest details. And if chosen with care it means your home can be both efficient and beautiful, the ultimate eco chic goal.
Find out more at www.oliverheath.com
















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