Archive for January, 2015

Blower Door Test

Posted on: January 30th, 2015 by Barley Store

 
It’s no use trying to create an airtight home if you don’t know how airtight it actually is!
To help us find out how we had gone as far as making our building airtight, John from Efficiency Matrix came round to conduct a Blower Door Test.


Part of the test is wrapping or covering the obvious places where the air would be leaking – so all the windows and doors. (more…)

Mapei – Mapelastic and Mapeflex

Posted on: January 27th, 2015 by Barley Store

 
On the base of our garden boxes we used waterproofing materials from Mapei so that the boxes would not deteriorate when exposed to the elements or buried under a bit of soil.

For this ‘tanking’ process we used two different products from Mapei, an international company specialising in adhesives and sealants. (more…)

Cleaning Products – Good for our bodies, our clothes and the environment!

Posted on: January 19th, 2015 by Barley Store


 
A large part of the 5×4 Project is considering the overall life cycle of the building, so the lifestyle of its residents is very important if the Project is going to be successful. The personal care and cleaning products used in everyday life need to be environmentally developed, with sustainability paramount in their process.
 
Other things to be considered with these products are the effect they will have once they are washed down the drain, and whether the plastic that their containers are made from is recycled and recyclable!
 
We have contacted body-care, washing and cleaning companies, and have received support from Nature’s Organics and their Earth’s Choice range, Laundress detergents, as well as Burt’s Bees’ body care range. Whilst these fantastic companies are not the only environmentally conscious companies on the market, we thank them for their support.

(more…)

Glass install

Posted on: January 15th, 2015 by Barley Store

 
It’s finally time for the glass on the east facade to be installed!
 

Early Morning

 With the help of a scissor-lift, the Audsley Windows installers attached the 10 ft pieces of class to the frames, while Grand Designs got it all on camera.


(more…)

Plaster

Posted on: January 13th, 2015 by Barley Store

 
Another truck driver did extremely well to reverse down the lane and deliver the Fiberock Aqua-Tough plaster boards from USG Boral.


Fiberock plasterboard is part of our Wall System, and are 95% recycled in their production. They are designed to be demountable and reusable, with consideration given the product’s complete life-cycle.

Once the measurements have been taken, these boards are being cut to size and then installed over the building.
 

Bed and Bath

Posted on: January 6th, 2015 by Barley Store

 
As with the body care and cleaning products, the fabrics used in the 5×4 Project play an ongoing roll in the building’s environmental impact. One of these fabrics currently being tested is woven bamboo towels and bed linen, supplied by Bamboo Village.



 

Why bamboo? (more…)