Sustainable Building Materials
RDE does not have the capacity in its centre to act as a retain outlet for larger building products, but we do have the contacts and supply chain networks to organise orders and deliveries for you. So we have access to the following products.
Ty Mawr Lime products (Lime render, plaster, putty, limewash)
Ty Mawr are based in Brecon and have a wide range of lime based products (along with other building materials). We have an account with Ty Mawr and so can organise deliveries for you. We also have fairly regular visits from them so we can help to reduce transport costs by having deliveries co-ordinated with other Cardiff / SE Wales drops, or for collection from the centre here in Splott. To view their other products visit www.lime.org.uk , or you can send them an email by clicking here.
Insulating lime render
RDE has been pursuing the creation of an insulating lime render for some time now and has eventually come across like minded people in the form of Lime Works in Gloucester. Harry 'Lime' is a pioneer in using lime putty renders with local vernacular products. We have been working with him to help him develop this idea into a recognised system that will be available in the SE Wales area. Once on the market, it shall allow for refurbishment on solid walled houses to be undertaken properly. At present we use all the wrong products to insulate our historical buildings and we must remember that all the terraces in the inner cities and valleys are historical buildings and so should be treated as such. Please contact Peter at the centre for more information as this really is just coming onto the market.
Durisol
Durisol are just starting to bring their well established product to the UK market. They have a well respected product that is made from 80% recycled wood. It is a dry stack system that is filled with concrete or limecrete to produce a well insulated, breathable, airtight and very economical solid wall. For more info you can visit their website at www.durisol.net. If you wish to find out more you can get info from their site or just contact us and we shall forward you their brochure and technical specifications . We have examples of their product in the centre.
Akristos Eco-bricks
The 'Terranova' eco-bricks are an example of sustainable thinking and the implementation of 'cradle to cradle' product development. The eco-bricks contain a high proportion of recycled industrial by-products and have equivalent (if not better) physical properties when compared with traditional bricks. Visit their somewhat confusing site at www.akristos.com. We have examples of their bricks in the centre. Given that the bricks are the same price as conventional bricks, why not build out of recycled products when they look, behave and cost the same??
Unfired clay bricks
We have un-fired bricks from Ibstock in the centre. These are much lower in embodied energy than conventional clay bricks, but still retain many of the properties of a solid brick, whilst having some additional advantages and some disadvantages.
They are much more breathable, and also strong enough for most applications (although most people would only use them as internal masonry), however they are more susceptible to damage because they are not fired, so they need to be kept undercover and dry. Once laid they are best covered by a lime or clay render.
RDE also initiated a project a couple of years ago to create a new un-fired block. This is now a research project in partnership with a range of organisations including the University of Glamorgan.
Ziegel blocks
Ziegel or honeycomb blocks are widely used on the continent because of their insulating capacity. They are easy and quick to lay and also produce breathable wall if used with lime renders and plasters. We have an example of a block in the centre and can organise deliveries of the blocks to you. For more information you can visit the Ziegel UK website at www.ziegeluk.co.uk.
Ty Unnos
A new post and beam development that is entirely Welsh. An ingenious new product that uses the widespread, and generally useless, Sitka Spruce that adorns much of the Welsh countryside. This system joins together the wood to form strong box sections that can then be used in a traditional construction method most commonly associated with large oak beams. We have examples of the structure in the centre. More info is available from Coed Cymru.