...In pictures

Sustainable construction went mainstream for six days in May when Kevin McCloud, presenter of TV’s popular Grand Designs, set out to build his own eco house live on TV. Combining traditional materials and techniques alongside cutting-edge technology he worked with RIBA award-winning architect Duncan Baker Brown, project manager Justin Whiteman and a team of builders.

The ground floor foundations and structure were built using ModCell sustainable, prefabricated straw bale and hemp cladding panels. Manufactured offsite the panels were quick to install and have up to three times higher thermal performance than Building Regulations require.

A double-height rammed earth wall was also built, despite this low-emission building material needing a rammer and eight tonnes of earth.

On day three a computer-controlled flat-bed laser cutter created ply cassettes for the internal and external structure, a method that generates practically no waste. Simply installed using a rubber mallet the cassettes are infilled with recycled newspaper insulation.

Other cutting-edge materials used on the job included window frames made from Accoya timber, which stays in shape no matter what the weather - installed here for the first time on a UK domestic property.

If all that pioneering construction wasn’t enough to get your juices flowing, there was also some great eye candy on display in the form of Property Ladder’s Kirstie and Phil, design consultant and presenter Naomi Cleaver and Janet Street Porter… well, you can’t win them all.

Source

Construction Manager