house building: 1/7 of 7

Are straw bales the future of sustainable building?

Mark Briggs

20th April, 2012

Straw bale is a low impact, low carbon building material making strides towards mainstream acceptance. So is it about time we took notice? Mark Briggs reports more...

The A to Z of retrofitting

Chloe Barrow

27th March, 2012

Cutting emissions at home doesn’t just help the planet; it saves you money too. Chloe Barrow explains how to get started more...

Tesco and B&Q join interest in 'Green Deal' to insulate homes

Mark Jansen

10th January, 2011

The UK government plans to get companies to pay to insulate energy inefficient homes - recovering the money from savings on the householder's energy bill more...

PassivHaus construction: the future of UK housebuilding?

Laura Sevier

22nd October, 2010

German design, British location, tropical climate. Super-efficient PassivHaus construction makes for warmer homes and lower energy bills. So why aren't we all building this way? more...

Do the environmental benefits of gardens outweigh the need for affordable houses?

Simon Leadbeater

19th October,2010

The need for more affordable housing is often cited as a reason for building on often-environmentally important garden plots. But does such a policy result in more cheap homes? Apparently not, argues Simon Leadbeater more...

Building houses with straw bales

Mark Anslow

31st December, 2009

A house built with straw could cost as little as £70,000 to build - and some are still standing after 140 years. Barbara Jones' fantastic book Building with Straw Bales reveals all you need to know more...

Homes for climate change

Susan Roaf

1st June, 2009

Building a more sustainable future is vital if our societies are to survive in a post-fossil-fuel future – but, argues Susan Roaf, the way we build must itself first change more...