Report by Dr Jenny Pickerill Affordable eco-homes Winston Churchill Trust Travelling Fellowship Senior Lecturer in Human Geography September 2011 Low income environmental solutions

Summary of key findings

This is an initial report from an academic research project looking at  Eco-building involves more than technical changes to construction; it ways we can make eco-housing more affordable. Its key findings are involves cultural shifts in how we consider our houses and homes. that: There are dynamic relationships between physical structures and indi- vidual behavioural practices, culture, history and place.  We need both a technical assessment of materials and methods used, and a social assessment of people’s choices and decisions in  There are many simple ways to make eco-housing more affordable, order to understand eco-housing. including:

 There is a diverse variety of eco-housing worldwide. The definition  Reducing the size used in this report is that an eco-building minimises resource use (in  Simple design and avoiding the use of unnecessary technol- construction and life-cycle) while also providing a comfortable envi- ogy ronment in which to live. The USA has a long-standing and established  Designing affordability in at the start eco-building culture, whereas eco-building has only existed in Thai- land in the last decade.  Designing in modular units so that a building can be extended at a later stage  We already have the technical knowhow, and many working exam-  Internal open plan design to enable maximum flexibility ples, to build resilient eco-houses in Britain. However, ecological  Using the space between buildings building methods remain marginalised and often mis-  Building collectively understood.  Sharing common facilities and infrastructure  Sharing the cost of the land  Eco-building will only be adopted if it offers what peo-  Avoiding the use of experts ple demand from a house and  Participating in the debate about new planning regulations to that they can live how they ensure that eco-building is permissible. want to within it.  Careful choice of materials  Less durable houses  The success of eco-housing is only as great as the behaviour  Using pre-fabricated elements or existing structures of the people who live in it.  Avoiding a purist approach Construction and technology  Ensuring design is aesthetically pleasing cannot compensate for exces- A hybrid ecohouse at Lama Foundation, New Mexico  Using hybrid combinations of materials sive energy use.  Planning favours buildings which conform to existing styles and norms  There remains a perception that building an eco-house is more and building regulations need to be negotiated. costly, whereas figures for the lifecycle costs of buildings have proved that in the long term they are actually cheaper. More invest-  Eco-building is gendered in that is it perceived to be a male domain ment may be required upfront but it pays off in costing less to run where men are presumed to be better builders, more men than women throughout its lifetime. actually build and women find their ideas and contributions to eco- building are often belittled. Socially constructed notions of gender have  Living sustainably has been associated with forgoing (doing without) determined that strength is the most important attribute required for many elements of contemporary life. However, a good eco-house is building, which is not true. actually more comfortable.  The replication of eco-build techniques worldwide has less to do with  It is not technology, or even politics, which is holding us back in whether the build actually worked or its cost, but is influenced by the building more eco-houses, it is deep rooted cultural and social con- less quantifiable factors of foreign importation of ideas, the appeal of ventions in how we live and what we expect houses to do for us. the aesthetics, open discussion of failure, a critical mass of support,

 Choices of building materials are made according to complex com- assertive pioneers, and people understanding how their existing houses promises between cost, local availability, skills and expertise re- work. quired, suitability for climate, ecological properties, maintenance  Further research work is needed on how people understand their requirements and cultural attachments to certain forms. Thus eco- houses, how eco-build approaches are replicated, post-occupancy materials need to satisfy many criteria before they are adopted. evaluations and the cultural dimensions of eco-building. Affordable eco-homes Aims of research

This report identifies the preliminary findings from a one year (March 2010 to March 2011) research project on Contact low cost eco-housing. The aim of the project was to understand how to encourage more affordable eco- Dr Jenny Pickerill housing in Britain by learning from examples at home and overseas. [email protected] The aims of the research were to: +44 (0)7964737994 Department of Geography  Identify successful examples of low cost eco-housing University of Leicester across a variety of different environments and con- University Road texts. Leicester LE1 7RH  Understand how such developments have overcome United Kingdom any problems they faced (such as planning, local resis-

tance, finance, or using non-conventional materials). Green Building Blog:  Identify common successful strategies in creating http://naturalbuild.wordpress.com/ affordable eco-homes which could be adopted in (contains reports on each case study) Britain. Personal website: The main focus of this work thus far has been on new www.jennypickerill.info builds and on small scale projects. It includes retrofitting, community and individual builds, radical and more con- ventional approaches. However, it does not include large-scale commercial or state-led developments.

an eco-building

minimises resource

use (in construction

and life-cycle) while

also providing a

comfortable

environment in

which to live

Brighton Earthship, UK

Defining eco-building What is affordable housing? The broad definition used in this report is that an eco- What is affordable greatly depends on average incomes building minimises resource use (in construction and life and what people expect to have to spend on a house. -cycle) while also providing a comfortable environment According to government criteria, affordable housing is in which to live. In other words, a good eco-building defined through a formula of local income levels and balances our need for comfort with ecological impact. local house prices. Its basic premise is that it should be An extremely ecological house that provides no comfort low enough for those on the lowest incomes to afford. does not satisfy our human need for a home. Determining what is actually affordable, however, is very difficult. Currently many people are unable to This can be achieved in numerous ways and there is a afford to buy a house, and others secure 25 years of breadth of approaches between buildings which use debt to buy one. technology to reduce their environmental impact and those which rely upon natural materials and a low im- This research starts from the premise that even bor- pact lifestyle. The more natural buildings can actually rowing three times your annual income for a house is have a negative carbon footprint because materials like not low cost housing (instead there are examples of eco straw actually store CO2. Eco-building thus requires -houses built for just £3,000). ‘Cheap’ housing should Peninsula Park Commons, careful consideration of location, materials, resource use, also not mean low quality. However, people might be Oregon, USA toxicity, durability, reclamation potential, biodiversity, prepared to pay a little more for a house which costs aesthetics, relation to community, and the ongoing dy- less to run and is good quality—increasing purchase namic relationships between people and their homes. costs to save on life-cycle costs. As such we need to continue to critically question what ‘affordable’ should actually mean and examine ways to create better low Page 2 cost homes. September 2011 What is wrong with current housing in Britain?

High environmental impact: salary. Despite being average design. Traditional terrace houses not rapidly growing or declining) Housing – both in construction figures which hide the huge dis- are often dark and only have our household composition is and use – consumes significant parity in incomes and house small windows to the south. changing and there is increased amounts of energy and contrib- values evident across Britain, our demand for more single occu- utes at least 25% of all carbon houses are still very expensive Poor inflexible internal design: pancy dwellings. emissions in Britain. Of residen- and many simply cannot afford a Our houses have historically been small, but they are also Our houses are not built for cli- tial CO2 emissions in a house over house. Even if they can they are 50% is used for space heating and saddled with debt for on 25 restrictive internally. Few are mate change: The Met Office 20% for water heating. More- years average. open plan and instead have lay- predict that temperatures will over, the construction industry is outs which no longer suit con- rise in Britain with increasing responsible for one-fifth of total It is of poor quality and not en- temporary life. More than half a heatwaves and fewer frost days. UK waste. Despite lots of state- ergy efficient: As many as 20% of million people in Britain live in At the same time we will have led environmental housing initia- our existing houses are not ther- overcrowded conditions. increased rainfall, more intensive tives and legislation there has mally efficient in that they leak rain showers, a rise in sea level, heat. As a result we use a lot of Limited possibilities for retrofit- coastal surge events and more been a slow update of eco- ting: Although it would clearly be building. expensive energy trying to heat storms. In other words, we need them and many people suffer preferable to retrofit existing to be prepared for flooding, Our housing is very expensive: In from fuel poverty (when more houses rather than build anew, storms and heat. If we don’t, January 2011 the average price of than 10% of a person’s income is our houses are difficult and ex- then not only will our houses a house was £163,177 (Land spent on fuel to heat a house). pensive to retrofit, beyond simply suffer from damage but we will Registry), but the median gross Many of our houses are in poor adding more insulation. Full ret- continue to increase our use of annual income in Britain was condition with draughts, damp rofitting has tended to cost 50% energy as more people need air £25,900 (Office for National Sta- and are poorly insulated. of the house value. conditioning to keep their houses tistics, April 2010). This means cool – creating a vicious circle of Our houses do not make use of Increased pressure to provide that on average a house costs more housing: Although our increased emissions and then more than six times a person’s ‘free’ energy: Few of our houses greater temperature rises. make use of simple passive solar population is stable (in that it is

Domestic carbon emissions 2005 Inside Earthship, Taos, USA Housing contributes (Department for Communities and Local Government, 2006) at least 25% of all

carbon emissions in

Britain. Of residential

CO2 emissions in a

house, over 50% is

used for space

heating

Why is this research necessary?

Good housing should be available Perceived additional costs of eco- it is important to understand how to all: Eco-building is perceived as building: Ecological features are we can make eco-houses cheaper more costly than conventional often only added to houses by “The construction indus- and thus more desirable. building methods and thus is contractors if costs can be re- try needs radical change if presumed to be a preserve of the couped elsewhere in the build. New houses are still being built: wealthy. However, good housing Sometimes inclusion of eco- we are to bring the cost of Although retrofitting is desirable, is a basic fundamental need and as long as we continue to build features are offset against quality homes back to a level that has significant implications for elsewhere. new houses we should ensure health and well being. We need ordinary people feel they that they are eco-buildings. to understand why eco-building We need more eco-building: There is pressure from govern- can afford without being More technology is not the an- is perceived to cost more and swer: We already know the tech- how costs could be lowered. ment to meet carbon reduction in debt all their lives” targets, but also from consumers nical aspects of eco-building but Ecological building methods concerned about rising energy (Barbara Jones, the foun- not why it has not been better remain marginalised and often prices. Building better houses is a taken up. der of amazonails, 2009, misunderstood: There is a need good way to achieve this. to understand what social, politi- p.25). cal and economic conditions Economics will likely be the key encourage or hinder eco- driver to greater mainstream building. adoption of eco-housing and thus Sabin Green, Portland, Oregon, USA Page 3 Affordable eco-homes Method: Source of materials for this research Material was collected from beyond the more familiar places self-builders, residents and some March to October 2010. During renowned for eco-building in the building volunteers. Questions these eight months 30 eco-homes search for innovative examples were asked about the materials Kelly Hart, my guide around eco- were visited across five countries: where cost might have been a key and ecology of the buildings, their houses at Crestone (USA), and builder Britain, Spain, Thailand, criteria. cost and how they were built, Steve Kornher using his flying con- and the USA. The actual places problems they encountered and crete method are listed and mapped below and It was important to study eco- how these were overcome, what include a broad variety of envi- housing at this micro—scale in the buildings were like to live in, ronments and contexts: order to fully understand the and any response they had re- complex choices people make ceived from neighbours or the  minority (for example, Lama about their homes, to test the state. These interviews were then Foundation) and majority world reality of whether the houses transcribed and analysed. (Pun Pun), actually work, and to appreciate  rural (Biotecture Earthships) the cultural, natural and political In addition extensive photographs and urban (Aldea Velatropa), context in which they are built. were taken in each location, and  individual dwellings (Casa secondary material such as re- Tierra) and communities (La Wherever possible I stayed in the ports and copies of costings were ecoaldea del Minchal), eco-homes themselves (on aver- also collected. In some places I age three days, in some places a  small scale (Green Hills) and was able to participate by attend- larger scale (Columbia Eco- fortnight), spent time getting to ing community meetings, volun- village) know the residents and builders, teering in building, or attending a and also experiencing how the  Temperate, tropical, and semi- course in eco-building. Although I arid dry climates houses functioned and were used. am neither an architect nor a These countries were chosen to In total I undertook 35 interviews builder I already had a basic provide a broad range of exam- with participants—many of them knowledge of eco-building having ples and in an attempt to look built my own eco-house.

Thirty eco-homes

1 -7 were visited across 22 -30 21 five countries: 16 17 -20 8 9

Britain, Spain, 12 11 10 Thailand, Argentina

and the USA

13 14 15

Eco-homes visited

1. Straw bale council house, tor, Spain fornia, USA 25. ReBuild Center, Oregon, Lincolnshire, England 10. Panya Project, Chiang Mai, 17. Lama Foundation, New Mex- USA 2. Lammas, Wales Thailand ico, USA 26. Ruth’s Garden Cottage, 3. Green Hills, Scotland 11. Pun Pun, Chiang Mai, Thai- 18. Thom Wheeler’s, New Mex- Oregon, USA 4. Newark Retrofit, Notting- land ico, USA 27. Sabin Green, Oregon, USA hamshire, England 12. Amy’s Earth House, Mae 19. Ampersand Learning Center, 28. People’s Co-operative, 5. Brighton Earthship, East Hong Son, Thailand New Mexico, USA Oregon, USA Sussex, England 13. Straw bale house, Yacanto, 20. Biotecture Earthships, New 29. City Repair Project, Oregon, 6. Tinkers Bubble, Somerset, Cordoba, Argentina Mexico, USA USA England 14. Casa Tierra, San Luis, Argen- 21. Crestone, Colorado, USA 30. Columbia Eco-village, Ore- 7. Landmatters, Devon, England tina 22. Kailash Eco-village, Oregon, gon, USA 8. La ecoaldea del Minchal, 15. Aldea Velatropa, Buenos USA Motril, Spain Aires, Argentina 23. Peninsula Park Commons, 9. El valle de Sensaciones, Ya- 16. Los Angeles Eco Village, Cali- Oregon, USA 24. Dignity Village, Oregon, USA Page 4 September 2011 Key findings 1. How to build affordable eco-housing

More affordable eco-housing can enable maximum flexibility. space but share laundry, gar- ate in some instances, but for dens, guest rooms, bike storage, many longevity and resilience is be built by:  Using the space between build- ings more; in some countries that and social spaces. important in house design.  Reducing the size; smaller houses are cheaper to build, is outdoor space, in others it is  Sharing the cost of the land and  Using pre-fabricated elements or cheaper to run and can some- designating areas as communal building in places where land is existing structures as the basic times avoid planning and build- and covering them. Often this cheaper and less desirable. structure and then adding addi- involves (re)claiming ‘public’ tional natural materials to add ing regulation stipulations.  Avoiding the use of experts areas like pavements for commu- wherever possible. Whenever insulation and adjust the aesthet-  Simple design which is easy to nal use like vegetable growing. ics. maintain. Avoiding the use of professionals were employed unnecessary technology which is  Building collectively and thus costs were significantly higher.  Hybrid building approaches offer reducing labour costs and time. the flexibility to easily tailor a costly (to buy and repair) and  Participating in the debate about instead making use of simple This also enables skill sharing. new planning guidance to ensure house to suit the climate without design features such as passive Many low-cost eco-houses were that eco-building is made easily having to commit to just one solar. This will reduce the lifecy- built with volunteer labour— permissible. build method. It enables the best cle costs of a building. though this might be hard to aspects of different materials to scale-up. Building collectively has  Ensuring that residents know be used for best effect.  Employing accessible building additional social benefits. how to live efficiently within the methods which do not require eco-house—minimising energy  Avoiding a purist approach—eco- specialist skills. Even in contract-  This collective approach is best wastage and understanding the buildings can be a hybrid fusion builds this enables volunteer used to empower people to manual operation requirements. of influences; not all aspects need labour to be used. organise, participate, and decide to be ecological and they do not what they want their housing to  Careful choice of materials— need to be perfect to work.  Designing affordability in at the be. balancing the need to reduce start. ecological impact with perform-  Ensuring design is aesthetically  Sharing common infrastructure ance requirements, how forgiv- pleasing—just because it is low  Designing in modular units so and facilities between cost does not mean it should be that the house can be extended ing the material is of mistakes, neighbours. Exemplified by the costs and availability. ugly or unappealing. at a later stage. co-housing model where resi-  Combining part-ownership with  Less durable houses are cheaper  Internal open plan design to dents retain individual privacy of to build and might be appropri- rental models.

Successful components of climate appropriate design low cost eco-housing modular, can

extend later open plan built collectively

small size cheap land aesthetically

pleasing careful material choice

simple design and construction

hybrid low maintenance low

Page 5 Affordable eco-homes Key findings cont. Case study: Green Hills, UK 2. A house is more than a shelter Green Hills in Scotland is a small eco-community which makes its In order to understand how we could  Private from others living from running a Community encourage more low cost eco-housing  A place worthy of investing emotion, Supported Agriculture scheme we need first to know how people time and money where they sell weekly vegetable perceive a house. For many, a house is boxes of home-grown organic foremost about security, both the Eco-buildings can challenge these food. They have built an oak- physical act of having somewhere safe assumptions by often being smaller framed straw-bale home in the to live and sleep, and financially as an than conventional housing and requir- woods and have recently started investment. There is a deeply felt ing people to share space. They can be sense that our homes are our refuge. (but are often not) less robust than These values shape not just how brick or concrete constructions or households operate but how houses require more maintenance. They may themselves are perceived. also require more manual operation (such as wood stove heating or manual Eco-building will only be adopted if it ventilation systems, rather than auto- offers what people demand from a mated air-conditioning). Understand- house and that they can live how they ing what people want a house to do is want to within it. As such people want key to encouraging eco-building. More- (eco-)houses to be: over, understanding the diversity in what people consider ‘normal’ is an Kitchen at Green Hills  Aesthetically pleasing important part of this process. building an earth-sheltered house  Comfortable and to offer convenient facilities (water, bathrooms, heat, Eco-houses need to be designed to with earth-filled tyres as the back refrigeration) meet needs but also to re- insulating wall. The straw bale cost £12,000 to build, though  Solid and long-lasting conceptualise what needs it is desir- they do all the construction work  Cheap and easy to run and maintain able to meet, and what needs are too themselves and use reclaimed  Financially secure environmentally costly. This involves materials wherever possible.  Spacious and flexible in function challenging social conventions. Eco-building will only

be adopted if it

offers what people

demand from a house ... eco-building

continues to be Green Hills, Scotland viewed as involving a 3. Eco-housing should not require forgoing comfort One night I had the privilege of sleeping in one of the bedrooms Living sustainably has been asso- ticularly important that low cost of the straw bale house and real- loss of comfort ciated with forgoing (doing with- eco-housing is not perceived to be ised quite how warm and com- out) many elements of contempo- too basic and somehow lacking fortable it was – even though we rary life; shifting to a simpler the essentials of a home. had not had the fire on for a few lifestyle, dispensing with nights. Downstairs there is a large (perceived) frivolous or environ- Living in an eco-house need not kitchen and dining area. There mentally damaging attachments mean a spartan existence. A good are also a few other structures on to luxury or convenience. eco-house is actually more com- fortable—with more even internal the land such as a yurt and a Comfort, however, is central to temperatures through well bal- canvas-covered tunnel. many people’s concepts of a anced passive heating or plentiful Green Hills is completely off-grid home. People define comfort in hot water through solar thermal – generating all their electricity many different and contrasting panels. from photo voltaic panels and a ways, but eco-building continues small wind turbine. They use a to be viewed as involving a loss of Eco-houses visited in Spain, Thai- land and the USA had prioritised compost toilet and collect rain- comfort. the importance of building good water. The women’s shower The most successful examples of bathrooms with hot water—using block at Panya Project, eco-housing negotiated the ten- solar or propane. This contrasted sions between ecological impacts with examples in Britain where Chiang Mai, Thailand and the purpose and cost of com- bathrooms were often the last to fort, privacy (which one inter- be built (and were often unfin- viewee suggests ‘makes your own ished) and few communities had walls bigger’), size of dwelling, ready access to hot water. These and time-saving electronic de- different priorities are most likely vices. cultural but they serve to reinforce the unhelpful perception that eco- If people are asked to forgo too houses are less comfortable to live much, eco-housing will not appeal in. Page 6 to the mainstream and it is par-

Green Hills, Scotland September 2011 Case study: Green Hills, UK Case study: La Ecoaldea Del Minchal, Spain Established in 2007, la ecoaldea del design and traditional Spanish The village are also lucky in that Minchal is creating an oasis of bio- appearance. The most magnifi- there is tolerance in this area for a diversity and comfortable living. cent house however is a zome. broad variety of buildings. Buildings Every bit of land is being put to use With eight straight walls, the without foundations, yurts, wooden to grow a huge variety of fruit trees ceiling and roof are constructed cabins and caravans are currently – bananas, papaya, avocados and out of a spiral of diamond-shaped ignored by the local Major. mangoes. At the bottom of the wooden sections which create a Build costs are reduced by building numerous olive trees Edgar has high airy ceiling. These are then collectively and using the ‘free’ created circular plant beds in which covered in tiles of asphalt. There labour of friends and family, rela- grow lettuces and tively cheap land, living off-grid (no tomatoes. Brice has Zome at La ecoaldea water, electricity or waste collec- rows of beans, pota- del Minchal tion costs), reusing materials, few toes, broccoli, building regulation costs, and buy- sprouts; the list goes ing any new material they do need on. Chickens are kept – like some wood – in large dimen- for their eggs, bee sions and cutting it up themselves. hives are in prepara- In addition, the houses they are tion, and a goat kid building are a balance between will eventually pro- being small-sized and yet acknowl- vide milk. Kitchen at Green Hills edging the importance of the sense The village is spread of volume and aesthetics to a home across a number of in order to create ‘a house with life’. terraces cut into the hillside. As yet is something magical about the there is no communal space, space a zome creates. The simplic- Living ethically and ecologically is as though the individual plots are ity of the design means that no important here as the houses being close enough for quick visits and internal walls or poles are re- ecological. Thus, in many ways, sharing equipment, but far enough quired to support the roof. In- what constitutes a house or home away to provide privacy, quiet, stead a wonderful curved ceiling, is expanded to include ethical food freedom and space for each other “Buildings have the with the diamond shapes ex- production, , too. The village has an open and posed, gives the feel of being water to grow bananas broad agenda – it does not have somewhere magnificent – like a and sugar cane, micro-energy gen- capacity to equalize strict rules, it is about ‘respecting cathedral. It also helps the flow of eration (via photovoltaic panels), themselves, others and nature’. air through the building and cre- and the treatment of faeces into people or segregate There are yurts on a couple of ates plenty of space for heat to compost. So when we consider an rise to a fan in the roof. Inside a plots, a wooden timber frame eco-house we have to start by them” house, and a house which is a huge space is created – it feels a expanding what we should include wonderful mixture of wooden lot bigger than it looks from the as necessary to a healthy function- cabin, solid wall construction, outside or its actual dimensions ing home, and la ecoaldea del Min- (Lydia Doleman) traditional Spanish tile roof, eco- (60 m2). chal serves as a great example in how this can be done. Barriers to low cost eco-housing Barrier Type of barrier

Resistance to greater up-front investment in housing in return for cheaper life- Financial cycle costs

High cost of land available for building Land ownership and planning

High cost of professionals and experts Financial and regulatory

Lack of appropriately trained professionals Education

Cost of adhering to planning and building regulations Legislative

Perception that expensive technology is required to build an eco-house Myth and education

Perceived need for privacy and opposition to sharing facilities Social and cultural

Emphasis upon individual private construction and ownership Social, cultural and financial

Lack of practical build skills and undervaluing of manual skills in building Practical education

Competitive tendering process in construction which encourages poor quality Financial La ecoaldea del Minchal building and prioritises profit

Page 7 Affordable eco-homes 4. Culture, history and place are important in contemporary eco-building

Eco-building involves more than down and tie it up to make a houses are new to an area and it is technical changes to construction; house’ (Oranratmanee, 2010), tempting to import a design from it involves cultural shifts in how we which is not considered possible elsewhere which might be unsuit- consider our houses and homes. with , although Pun Pun are able for the local climate. There are dynamic relationships doing their best to convince people between physical structures and otherwise. Teaching through hands-on experi- individual behavioural practices, ence: Eco-housing can require social culture, history and place. Bridging the old with the new: changes in how we live, which can While valuing traditional styles it is be challenging to get people to un- Valuing traditional styles: This also often necessary to challenge derstand. For example, understand- involves ensuring that new house them and not become a hostage to ing the subtle balance between the designs ‘fit’ with existing house tradition. Just because a practice need for insulation and ventilation. structures, but also overcoming has existed for decades does not We need insulation to reduce any stigma in using traditional make it the best choice. This proc- draughts and keep us warm but we methods. For example, although ess, however, has to be done care- need ventilation to keep us cool. historically extensively used in fully and often incrementally in This is best taught through hands-on western Argentina, clay adobe order to gain acceptance in local experience. There are examples came to be perceived as only for communities. There is much to be where houses were built without those on low incomes and its re- learnt here from the ways in which adequate ventilation. placement—bricks—as a sign of new technologies are adopted by wealth and status. Contemporary societies (see also Key finding 8 on By understanding the role that cul- eco-builders at Casa Tierra have page 12). ture, history and place play in con- worked with the local community temporary eco-building we can see to successfully revive an interest in Climate appropriate building design that it is not (the lack of) technology, traditional techniques. Likewise in is crucial for the success of an eco- or even politics, which is holding us north Thailand, where traditionally house but relies on the builder back in building more eco-houses— bamboo, grass or wood was used, having a detailed knowledge of the it is deep rooted cultural and social there is an understanding that a climate of a particular place. This is understandings of how we live and house ‘is where you need to nail it especially important when eco- what we expect houses to do for us.

Interior at Pun Pun It is not technology

which is holding us

back in building more

eco-houses, it is deep

rooted cultural and Cafe at Pun Pun social understandings Case study: Pun Pun, Thailand of how we live and Pun Pun, Chiang Mai, is primarily There are numerous other residen- costly and considerably time- what we expect houses a sustainable living centre con- tial houses – all adobe of various consuming. cerned with seed saving and forms and with different roofs – teaching the broad range of skills thatch or tile. Jon and Peggy’s The shortage and high cost of to do for us needed for sustainability, of house is a majestic two-storey teak wood, the traditional build which natural building is only adobe double roundhouse which material of the region, and the part. This is motivated by a desire inside makes the most of its curved short lifespan of other natural to be self-reliant, as many walls and views of the valley below. materials often used for building Thais once were, and thus here – bamboo and thatch – has provide the four basic needs This focus on adobe was triggered left concrete and cement a clear of life – housing, medicine, by Jon Jandai’s visit to the earthern favourite. Adobe is one of the few clothes and food, for oneself. buildings of New Mexico. USA. The alternatives which can be freely, process of building has been experi- or at least cheaply, sourced lo- The construction at Pun Pun is mental and has had to adapt to the cally, and learnt easily. big – both in the size of some tropical climate. After the first of the buildings and in their house on site was built, it was real- In addition to being a relatively number. There is a recently ised that larger roof overhangs easy technique to learn, Pun Pun completed meeting hall which were needed to protect the walls, deliberately focuses on working towers over the other build- and there is an ongoing fight to with groups who want to build ings with its two storeys and a prevent the termites reaching the together. They view building as a small third level. It is made walls and wood. Thus all the walls form of social change activism from a combination of adobe begin on raised concrete. While it is which can make communities and metal supporting beams acknowledged that a thatch roof of more resilient and self-reliant, and ultimately more sustainable. House at Pun Pun with a concrete aggregate- grasses is better suited to the cli- fibre tiled roof. Elsewhere mate – it enables good ventilation – The defining lesson from Pun Pun there is a cafe housed in the and a concrete aggregate tiled roof is best encapsulated in their say- first adobe building on site which is hotter, the tiles last considerably ing, ‘whenever you are doing now has hot water heated by a longer and have been used on the something, if it is hard, it is solar cooker design adapted to larger buildings where replacement wrong’. Page 8 heat water rather than food. every few years would be both 5. Building materials matter, but choices are complicated September 2011

Appropriate choice of materials is significant maintenance or not not. These factors are hard to central to successful eco-building, withstand the weather, thus quantify but for illustration but these choices are not always increasing costs in time and (based on the places visited for obvious or easy. Problems in regular replacement. this research) are estimated in choosing materials include:  Quality of natural materials the table below. It is clear why might be unreliable and hard to adobe and straw bale are popu-  Some core building materials— determine if the builder is a lar, but also why they struggle to like wood—might not be avail- novice. compete with concrete. able locally and may be very  Standardised components are expensive. easier to use and replace. Overall, local materials are not  New (or overseas) materials always the best choice, as deci-  Cultural attachment to (or might be needed for structural rejection of) particular materi- sions need to be made taking into strength or might be cheaper als. account a variety of require- than local supplies. Choices of material are also influ- ments. What is clear is that natu-  Reclaimed materials might not enced by the skills available and ral materials often offer lower have good insulating properties level of expertise required. Some ecological impact and better (like the use of bricks made materials (like adobe and straw thermal properties than more from plastic bags at Velatropa). bale) are very forgiving of mis- processed materials.  Natural materials can require takes, others (like bamboo) are

Estimation of expertise, precision, cost and time for different materials

Build method and Expertise Precision Ease of Cost of Time Totals material necessary required learning materials taken

Concrete 2 4 1 3 3 13 Los Angeles Eco-Village, USA

Adobe 2 1 1 2 8 14

Straw bale 5 3 2 2 3 15 Interior at Pun Pun “Affordable houses are now Hybrid: straw 5 3 3 2 5 18 and adobe being built, to very high

Rammed 6 3 3 3 6 21 standards of thermal efficiency, tyres Cob 5 2 2 2 10 21 without compromising on quality and while providing a beautiful, Wood 7 8 5 8 5 33 organic ambience to the house Bamboo 8 9 7 6 3 33 that increases well being” Numbers out of 10, with 10 being the hardest/ most time-consuming and 1 the easiest/ quickest to do (Barbara Jones, 2009)

Inside strawbale house, Crestone, USA

Carriage house, Crestone, USA

Adobe bricks at Pun Pun

House at Panya Project, Thailand Page 9 Affordable eco-homes 6. There is a need to negotiate planning and building regulations restrictions Political context shapes what build- ample, Lammas in Wales) but it is still often necessary to prove new ideas ing types are permissible. Despite seen as the exception, rather than work and we should consider follow- some successes in Britain, our plan- best practice, or as an important way ing the USA in creating more experi- ning system favours buildings which to enable low cost eco-housing. mental build zones. The New Mexico conform to existing styles and Sustainable Development Testing norms. In many countries building regula- Site Act provides two acres for the tions do not exist but they can be a trialling of new building methods. Planning does not simply ensure useful way to ensure that houses are This site is deemed completely free conformity of design but actively safe. Unfortunately they are some- of building regulations and planning seeks to ‘protect’ land from devel- times unable to account for innova- restrictions. Such sites provide ‘proof opment per se. It operates to con- tive design and can enforce costly -of-concept’ space which can also fine house building to urban zones practices to ensure conformity. In the provide evidence for the necessary or places where there is existing USA build codes enforce certain changes in building regulations and construction. It operates under the practices by being prescriptive in that planning to enable innovative eco- premise that house building is by you must do certain things. In Ger- building. In Britain such sites would default damaging to the environ- many certain build types—like load- enable more longevity and weather ment and that it is necessary to bearing strawbale— are not permit- durability tests for novel eco-builds. separate people from the land. Eco- ted at all. In Britain they are guide- housing seeks to reconnect people lines of what has to be achieved Planning and building regulations are with their environment and to (such as U-values and fire resistance) important parameters for building, dramatically reduce the ecological but there is flexibility in how it is but can serve to hinder low cost eco- impact of houses. achieved. This is more tolerant of housing and are often used to re- innovative eco-building. strict eco-housing even when they As such, special exception should could be interpreted in more sympa- be made for allowing eco-houses to However, those international places I thetic ways. This potential flexibility be built on land not available to visited without planning laws and in regulation and the use of land other forms of construction. There building regulations produced suc- should only be for eco-building, not has been some success in allowing cessful and innovative eco-housing. all development. eco-building on farmland (for ex- The freedom to experiment was

Appropriate choice Dignity Village, USA of materials is central

to successful eco-

building, but these

choices are not

always obvious or

easy Panya Project, Thailand

Page 10 7. Eco-building is gendered, but it need not be September 2011

Eco-building is gendered in that is required. Examining the gender it perceived to be a male domain divide in eco-building also raises where men are presumed to be questions about the relationship better builders, more men than between bodies and building. The women actually build and women ’doing’ and manual aspect of build- find their ideas and contributions ing is unfamiliar for many (not just to eco-building are often belittled. women) and many interviewees Examples of women being leaders commented on the need to relearn and full participants in build pro- how to be practical and to under- jects are rare (most were in the stand the physical possibilities USA). (and limitations) of their bodies. Reasons given for gender imbal- Making glass bottles for Lammas ance include that men are geneti- cally stronger and that women Delphine and a volunteer making a zome lacked the scientific perspective at La ecoaldea del Minchal, Spain necessary for building. In practice this has meant that: These views and exclusionary traditionally patriarchal society practices have important conse-  It was rarely acknowledged how which still maintains much of its much work women were doing quences. It means gender is an machismo) the Ruizes were first on build sites. important marker of difference taught natural building by two when it need not be so. There are women. They believe it is about  The assumptions about male many female eco-architects and both genders understanding and skills and strengths which might some notable eco-builders. How- knowing their own bodies and its not necessarily be true, are ever, that there are not more limitations. So building becomes perpetuated. means there is every possibility about more than physical work that we are excluding a wealth of than creative judgement, which  Female voices are excluded knowledge and labour from eco- both genders need to learn and from design discussions and building. It also limits the possibil- practise. In the USA women-only women’s ideas about eco- ity for more mainstream adop- build workshops are run. building are often ignored, not tion of building. acknowledged and not listened Building has a lot to do with con- to. Particular effort was put into fidence and skill, but socially overcoming these gender divi- constructed notions of gender  The history of women-led build- sions in several places visited. In have determined that strength is ing (for example in Pueblos in Argentina (perhaps ironically for a the most important attribute New Mexico, USA) is often not acknowledged.

Case study: Casa Tierra, Argentina Casa Tierra, just to the north of (it forgives mistakes and can be rooms, which is what they have Diego have always sought to do this in San Francisco del Monte de Oro, easily maintained and repaired). done as their family has ex- a publically accessible way which is the home of Nathalia and Since building the living roof they panded. Building has been a very might lead by example. They hope to Diego Ruiz. It is an adobe house have decided to avoid using collective process at Casa Tierra. make people aware that other solu- which curves towards the north wood as much as possible be- Nathalia estimates that 150 peo- tions – to cold dark houses, or a dwin- with a living roof, a separate cause it is very expensive and is ple have helped build their home dling supply of firewood – are avail- office and library building (Lak’a not available locally. Similarly in some way. Nathalia and Diego able. Uta, meaning earth house), and a they rejected using straw be- learnt themselves through sev- separate wattle and daub bath- cause it is not easily available. If eral workshops in Patagonia Refreshingly, gender has been ac- room block. The Lak’a Uta has no they chose to build adobe mainly (southern Argentina) and chose knowledged here as an important wood in its construction; instead because of cost, they have also adobe to build partly because it is issue in eco-building; the Ruizes think it has a curved adobe roof de- sought to make their build af- easy to teach others; you do not it is important that women are specifi- signed by Jorge Belanko and the fordable by using workshop par- need to be an expert. cally encouraged to realise the possi- look of an old Moroccan building. ticipants as cheap bilities of building in a culture where it These buildings are all incredibly labour: “Costs are is considered strong and heavy work aesthetically pleasing, with de- a third materials, and thus a masculine activity. tails of lizard designs on the wall, but two-thirds in The Ruizes purposefully chose to build coloured bottles casting light labour” (Diego). with clay in San Francisco del Monte inside and curved glass windows So they have only de Oro because of its tradition of clay looking out on the countryside spent AR$ 5,000 building. Technically five blocks north beyond. Inside, the curved spaces pesos (£800) on of the town, their plot is considered invite sitting and the fire place the build. pampa (countryside) and thus building warms the room as well at the regulations are unlikely ever to apply kettle. Despite not yet having a Their house is not big because it is here. But regulations are being formu- finished roof it already feels like a Casa Tierra, Argentina lated for the town itself and they are place to dwell peacefully. deliberately de- signed around keen to ensure that clay buildings are They chose to build in clay be- function, not objects or action. Although their principle aim has formally accepted, perhaps even ad- cause it was cheap, local, you can Casa Tierra has been designed so simply been to provide a home vocated, within these new regulations. build curved walls, and it is easy that it is relatively easy to add for themselves, Nathalia and

Page 11 Affordable eco-homes 8. Why some eco-build approaches are replicated and others are not One of the purposes of travelling ensure that innovative building timidate newcomers from trying to see a variety of different eco- retains an aesthetic which ‘fits’ their own ideas or they can be homes was to understand why with other buildings regionally. dogmatic in determining how some approaches to eco-building things should be built. Yet with- are easily replicated worldwide Talking about failure: There is a out pioneers and risk-takers and others are ignored. The repli- lack of open discussion about the many innovative eco-houses cation of eco-build techniques failure of some eco-build at- would not exist. worldwide has less to do with tempts—whether that is poor whether the build actually choice of materials or innovative Critical mass of support is crucial worked or its cost, but is influ- techniques which did not stand for encouraging people to build enced by the less quantifiable the test of time. As a result mis- green and have the confidence to factors , such as: takes are repeated and builders try it out—hence the clustering of demoralised. More open discus- eco-building in certain places. Foreigners: In Spain, Thailand sion about failure would facilitate Where this critical mass has not and Argentina foreigners have the understanding that building is been available builders have often imported eco- relied on interna- build ideas. This is tional support and most effective when in many commented collaboration with they would not have locals who are able to succeeded had it not adjust the ideas for been for this sup- the appropriate cli- port network. mate and culture. In Thailand, foreign tech- Understanding how niques are useful our houses work: because they are re- For many the very spected culturally as a Earthship, Taos, USA concept of an eco- sign of development. house is hard to In some instances it was clear an ongoing and dynamic learning comprehend because they do not that the lack of local involvement process and support those who know how their current house In Spain, Thailand and has resulted in miscomprehen- make mistakes in continuing to functions. Thus, for example, sion, suspicion and a lack of fur- build; as Greg (Panya Project) building large water storage tanks into a house design is not Argentina foreigners ther replication. It has also led to noted, ‘people are afraid to make inappropriate use of materials. mistakes’. accepted as necessary if there is mains water. Our reliance on often imported eco- Aesthetics are key to mainstream Pioneers are both inspiring and central systems counters peo- adoption of eco-building and yet threatening and play a complex ple’s ability to take ownership of eco-homes were often quirky in role in how eco-building ideas are the functions of their homes. build ideas ... the lack design, look and feel. We need to spread. Their expertise can in- of local involvement Ampersand Learning Center, USA resulted in

miscomprehension,

suspicion and a lack

of further replication

Aldea Velatropa, Argentina

Page 12 September 2011 Case study: Lama Foundation, USA Clinging to the steep hillside of the mented with a variety of methods aluminium shingle roofs which sion between a lack of time and Sangre de Cristo mountains north and styles – particularly hybrid hang over to the ground each side. skills and the focus being primarily of Taos, New Mexico, the Lama approaches. This is when different Moreover under New Mexico elsewhere has led to the use of Foundation has been building since methods such as straw-bale are building code very small buildings concrete and stucco in recent 1968. Principally a spiritual centre, used alongside adobe blocks or do not have to comply. The com- buildings which is not very environ- it has an eclectic mixture of eco- stone walls. Thus they make use of munity setting encourages the mental. They have had at times to houses. These houses have straw-bale in the north-facing walls building of small individual houses make compromises. changed quite radically over the (to keep the place warm) and and the collective use of the large years, not least adobe in a communal space. There are com- The whole community is off-grid, because on 5th south-facing munal bathrooms, kitchen, library, generating electricity through May 1996 a fire wall (because music room, winter meeting room, photovoltaic cells, using compost destroyed the it allows a and outdoor sheltered eating area. toilets, wood for heat, and water majority of the building to Building here is a collective process from an on-site spring (and some site, leaving heat up more and part of a spiritual practice for rainwater is collected). Water is rather miracu- quickly than many. heated in the main through a pro- lously the central straw). pane heater because solar capacity dome and the old The main focus of the site is spiritu- is limited. Lama Foundation Use of adobe ality rather than eco-building so wooden octago- There is undoubtedly something nal kitchen. on site was the co-ordination of building or the originally inspired by the nearby skills available is very much de- magical at the Lama Foundation, There is a log cabin, a straw-bale Pueblo construction and many local pendent on who happens to be less in a spiritual sense for me house, a new base for their cottage Indigenous Americans came to the around. This has created mainte- personally, but something about industry being made from straw- site in the early years to teach the nance problems for the core full- its location and the freedom with bale and adobe combined, some newcomers how to build with time residents who are there all which eco-building has been ex- yurts for visitors, small vault earth. Many of the houses are also year because of the sheer number perimented. I left longing to stay homes, a hybrid house and many deliberately small, which are thus of buildings and the use of natural and to move into my own little more. Over the years different cheaper to build and easy to heat. materials which require regular vault house on the mountain side. visitors and residents have experi- The vaults are straw-bale with attention and patching. This ten- We need both a Lama Foundation technical assessment

of materials and

methods used, and a

social assessment of

people’s choices and

decisions

Lama Foundation Lama Foundation

9. We need to research the technical alongside the social in eco-building

This research has identified the ciplinary approach is necessary  Usability tests as to whether value of taking a micro-scale but is not always easy to claims made about perform- approach to understanding low achieve. ance of buildings are accurate. cost eco-building. By taking the This can be done scientifically time to study individual homes  The cultural context in which or through temporary occupa- and talk in-depth to builders and building occurs is important as tion of the building. residents, the complexity of this shapes many choices made building eco-houses and the as to materials, design and  Multiple opinions on each build range of tensions and compro- function. It also influences the are necessary to confirm par- mises negotiated become clear. potential for replication of eco- ticular details and test claims building. For example, in many made. By taking this methodological cultures eco-building is per- approach it is evident that sev- ceived to take too long to sat-  Participation in the process of eral factors must be included in isfy the desire to build quickly. building offers a unique re- research into eco-building: search opportunity to learn  To know how people perceive about issues which interview-  We need both a technical as- how their current houses work ees might not be able to articu- sessment of materials and and their functions, in order to late or reflect upon. methods used, and a social comprehend how eco-building assessment of people’s choices fits into existing notions of and decisions. Thus an interdis- home.

Page 13 Affordable eco-homes Successful examples of low cost eco-housing Place Council house Waddington ENGLAND Location Lincolnshire, UK Made from Straw bales and lime plaster Extra detail Built by North Kesteven District Council and amazonails as council houses – the first in Britain, 2 three bedroom homes Contact info http://www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/section.asp?catId=1521 Place Lammas WALES

Location Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK

Name of house Jasmine and Simon’s house Made from Earth sheltered roundhouse built using roundwood, earth and stone from the land, straw bales and reclaimed materials. Wood frame How find Glandwr village Extra detail New 9 family eco-community Contact info http://www.lammas.org.uk/

Place Green Hills SCOTLAND Location Scotland, UK Made from Straw bale Extra detail A small eco-community building everything themselves with very little income Contact info http://naturalbuild.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/green-hills-scotland/ Place Brighton Earthship ENGLAND Location Brighton, East Sussex, UK Made from Tyres and earth How find Stanmer Park, north Brighton Extra detail Built as a community centre and now runs training courses on how to build earthships Contact info http://www.lowcarbon.co.uk/earthship-brighton Place Tinkers Bubble ENGLAND Location Somerset, UK Name of house Charlotte’s house Made from Straw bale, wood, mud, roundwood How find Little Norton, Stoke-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, TA14 6TE, UK Extra detail Long standing eco-community. Established in 1994 Contact info http://naturalbuild.wordpress.com/2010/05/10/tinkers-bubble-somerset/, 01935 881975 Place Landmatters ENGLAND Location Devon, UK Name of house Charlotte’s Wooden Roundhouse Made from Wood Extra detail A intentional community Contact info http://www.landmatters.org.uk/ Place La ecoaldea del Minchal SPAIN Location Molvizar, Andalucia, Spain Name of house Edgar and Mercedes’ house Made from Wooden zome How find http://naturalbuild.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/how-to-find-la-ecoaldea-del-minchal-spain/ Extra detail A new eco-community, this house built by Edgar and Brice Contact info http://naturalbuild.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/la-ecoaldea-del-minchal-andulacia-spain/ and http:// laecoaldeadelminchal.webs.com/ Place El valle de Sensaciones SPAIN Location Yátor in the Alpujarras, Spain Name of house Communal kitchen house Made from Adobe and handcrafted wooden windows and doors How find http://naturalbuild.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/how-to-find-el-valle-de-sensaciones-spain/ Extra detail Built by Achim who owns and runs the project Contact info http://www.sensaciones.de/ Place Panya Project THAILAND Location Mae Taeng, Chiang Mai, northern Thailand Name of house Adobe house with grass roof Made from Grass, wood, and adobe How find http://naturalbuild.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/how-to-find-panya-project-and-pun-pun-thailand/ Extra detail Established in 2004 it has become a site for experimentation and education in permaculture and natu- ral building. Contact info http://www.panyaproject.org/ Place El Trébol del Monte ARGENTINA Location Yacanto, Cordoba, Argentina Made from Straw bale and wooden beams Extra detail Built by Timothy Cullen as a single self-build project Contact info http://www.naturalhomes.org/straw-argentina-yacanto.htm Page 14 September 2011

Place Fundacion Yanantin ARGENTINA Location San Francisco del Monte de Oro, San Luis, Argentina Name of house Casa Tierra Made from Adobe Extra detail Built by Nathalia and Diego Ruiz Contact info http://www.casatierra.org.ar/ Place Los Angeles Eco Village USA Location Los Angeles, California, USA Made from Eco-retrofit of existing brick apartment blocks How find 117 Bimini Place, Los Angeles, CA 9004 Extra detail Established in 1996 it is a long running and permanent fixture which not only houses thirty or so peo- ple but acts as a central hub for many green activities and campaigns in the city Contact info http://www.laecovillage.org/ Place Earthships Biotecture USA Location Near Taos, New Mexico, USA Made from Car tyres and earth Extra detail Designed by Mike Reynolds Contact info http://earthship.com/

Place Lama Foundation USA Location San Cristobal, New Mexico, USA Name of house The bluebird Made from Straw bale, some cob and some stonework, lime plaster Extra detail A spiritual intentional community with lots of different types of eco-housing Contact info http://lamafoundation.org/ Place Eco-buildings at Crestone USA Location Crestone town, Colorado, USA Name of house Earthbag house built by Kelly Hart Made from Earthbags filled with volcanic ash Contact info http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/

Place Ampersand Learning Center USA Location Near Cerrillos, New Mexico, USA Made from Straw, earthbags, and adobe Extra detail Built by Amanda and Andy Bramble Contact info http://www.ampersandproject.org/ Place Kailash Eco-village USA Location SE Portland, Oregon, USA Made from Existing 1959 apartment building which has been eco-retrofitted Extra detail Owned and run by Maitri and Ole Ersson Contact info http://www.kailashecovillage.com/ Place Peninsula Park Commons USA Location 6325 N. Albina Ave, Portland, Oregon Name of house This is one of the newly built houses, next to the original retrofitted buildings Made from Wood, reslavaged windows, low energy use Extra detail Half retrofit of existing buildings, half new build, runs as co-housing Contact info http://www.penparkcommons.org/ Place Dignity Village USA Location NE Portland, off NE Sunderland Avenue, Oregon, USA Made from All sorts of scrap reclaimed materials – wood, straw, adobe, metal Extra detail This site has been built and run by homeless people to give them free housing. Contact info http://www.dignityvillage.org/

Place Columbia Eco-village USA Location 4647 NE Killingsworth St, Portland, Oregon, USA Made from Eco-retrofit of existing apartment buildings Extra detail This is a new co-housing project Contact info http://columbiaecovillage.org/ Page 15 Recommendations to encourage affordable eco-housing in Britain

houses. Currently all in- centives are targeted towards technology, not 1. Build more publically ac- for practical build skills. simple and good design. cessible examples of low 3. Enable more use of planning Manual skills also need to Banks often fail to ac- cost eco-building. Al- special exceptions for eco- be more clearly valued. knowledge that eco- though there are already building in areas where 8. Teach ecological design to houses are a good invest- many examples there is a other building is not permit- all architects and encour- ment and can generate a need to publicise and ted. Create greater flexibility age collaboration between premium value when built. document them better. in building regulations for ecological architects and 11.Fund research into (long Without access to exam- eco-building innovations. affordable housing pro- term) testing of alternative ples it is hard for people to 4. Create experimental build grammes. construction methods and understand the value and zones whereby ‘proof-of- 9. Encourage construction materials, and conduct benefits of eco-housing. concept’ tests can be done professionals to under- post-occupancy evaluation 2. Adopt a myth busting outside of building regula- stand and value alterna- (particularly of energy approach to some of the tions and planning. tive methods, to be flexi- consumption) across a perceived barriers to low 5. Avoid reliance on techno- ble in the way they inter- diverse set of residents. cost eco-housing. Many logical solutions—they are pret building regulations 12.Encourage open account- myths contribute to a costly and not as efficient as and to be less risk-adverse. perceived lack of demand ing and partnership ap- good basic design. 10.Offer more financial in- for eco-homes. proaches in building rather 6. Always include neighbours centives to build eco- than competitive tender- and local community in any ing. The latter results in build; this helps with under- quickly built but poor standing and replication. quality housing. 7. Provide more skills training and on-hands experience with different materials. This is especially necessary

Acknowledgements References and recommended reading Useful organisations

This research would not have been amazonails possible without the generous sup- Anderson, W (2009) Homes for a Hurd, J and Gourley, B (eds.) www.amazonails.org.org Changing Climate: Adapting our (2000) Terra Britannica: a celebra- port of the Winston Churchill Trust Building Research Establishment (BRE) homes and communities to cope tion of earthern structures in Great and the Department of Geography, www.bre.co.uk University of Leicester. with the climate of the 21st cen- Britain and Ireland. English Heri- tury. Green Books, Totness, Devon. tage. Builders Without Borders www.builderswithourborders.org People who were a particular help to Bird, C (2010) Local Sustainable Jones, B (2009) Building with Straw Centre for Alternative Technology this research include Julia Weston, Homes. Transition Books, Totnes, Bales: A practical guide for the UK www.cat.org.uk Barbara Jones, Tim Watson, Maggie Devon. and Ireland. Green Books, Totness, Farrant, Michael Gadd, Wilf, Beth, Jo Devon. 2nd edition. The Development Center for Appropri- Burnham, R (1998) Housing Our- and Matt, Josh Zatz, Judith Thornton, ate Technology selves: Creating Affordable, Sus- Kennedy, J, F (ed.) (2004) Building Brice, Delphine, Edgar and Mercedes, www.dcat.net tainable Shelter. McGraw-Hill, Without Borders; Sustainable Achim, all at Tinkers Bubble, Christian Ecological Building Network London. Construction for the Global Village. Shearer, Gregory Crawford, Shelley www.ecobuildnetwork.org New Society Publishers, Gabriola McClure, William Eastlake, Yaowadee Department for Communities and Island, Canada. The Green Register Chookong, Amy Cheyklintes, Dr Rawi- Local Government (2006) Review www.greenregister.org.uk wan Oranratmanee, Timothy Cullen, of Sustainability of Existing Build- Liddell, H (2008) Eco-minimalism: Global Ecovillage Network Nathalia and Diego Ruiz, Paz, Lara ings. London: the antidote to eco-bling. RIBA http://gen.ecovillage.org Morrison, Richard Gomes, Chelsea www.communities.gov.uk Publishing, London. Lord, Kirsten Jacobson, Kelly and Habitat for Humanity Rosanna Hart, Alix W Henry, Amy Fosket, J and Mamo, L (2009) Road, S, Fuentes, M and Thomas, S www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk Living Green: Communities that (2007) Ecohouse. Third edition. Duke, Thom Wheeler, Amanda and Natural Building Network sustain. New Society Publishers, Elsevier, London. Andy Bramble, Maitri and Ole Ersson, www.nbnetwork.org Eli Spevak, Mark Lakeman, Melora Gabriola Island, Canada. Salomon, S (2006) Little House on Small House Society Golden, Kathleen Walsh, Mike Rey- Gordon, E (2005) How green is a Small Planet. The Lyons Press, nolds, Rob Cartwright, Simon and www.resourcesforlife.com/small-house- your house builder? Ethical Con- Guilford, Connecticut, USA. society Jasmine, Cassi and Nigel, Paul Wim- sumer, 92, p.28-29. bush, Hoppi, Kathleen Walsh, Paulina Vijayalaxmi, J (2010) Towards The Sustainable Building Association Wojciechowska, Rebecca Sarll, Kevin Goodier, C and Pan, W (2010) The —a case www.aecb.net and Gillian Trott, Mischa Hewitt, Mick Future of UK Housebuilding. RICS, with Greentainer. Local Environ- Women and Manual Trades (WAMT) Kelly, Bob Tomlinson, and Rob Cart- London. ment, 15, 3, 245-259. www.wamt.org wright. Thank you. UK Green Building Council www.ukgbc.org All photographs were take by Jenny Pickerill