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Introducing CDB’s Sand Wall
December 13th, 2008
A wall finish that looks like a west-coast beach!
Cost-Comparable to standard painting, this finish is quick, easy and dramatic. The colour of the sand is the colour of the wall, creating a completely natural surface. A scrumptious look that Just makes you want to press your face right up to it.
Hard and durable, this finish makes an excellent feature-wall and adds subtle texture and interest. It can be done over standard wall surfaces.
Best of all, it is completely non-toxic free of volatile organic compounds, and goes on with absolutely no odor whatsoever.
More Clay-based plasters
All natural clay based plasters use old school pigments to provide earthy tones such as this plaster mixed with Iron Oxide. Straw is added to the plaster to create an unforgettable texture.
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All Woman Building Crew Show Off Their Skills!
December 2nd, 2008
The Mudgirls Natural Building Collective may be best known for taking natural building to an extreme with their commitment to local materials. They have been building homes and studios using a building material called cob. Cob is a sculptable mix of sand, clay, straw and water, and creates strong and charming buildings.
The Mudgirls have been building with cob and other alternative building materials on the gulf islands and remote areas of Vancouver Island for the past three years, including building walls with Wattle and Daub, an ancient building practice that is currently being revived.
They have been exploring the world of natural building and have been travelling all over western BC to work on some very unique properties. Some of the properties they have travelled to to build on include farms, quirky restaurants, people living off the grid, retreat centres and b&bs. Some of these clients have been building small cabins in order to rent out and gain income from their property.
There is definitely room for natural building to find a place in the urban environment as well with eco- renovations being the newest techniques the mudgirls are exploring.
“There is definitely some confusion in the world regarding the popular term green . Our goal is to strip away some of the green washing out there and show people what they can do with the materials in their own backyards.” says one fiesty mudgirl.
The Mudgirls, are hosting a project showcase on Dec. 6 at the & Loan Gallery. The public is invited to come and check out samples of the types of natural finishes that can be applied to drywall, or other common wall surfaces.
The Dec. 6th event will showcase a variety of natural plasters and paints. Expect to see examples of the creative side of these practical plasters, whose consistency lends itself to sculptural raised-releif. There will also be samples of clay-based natural pigment paint, which can be applied directly to natural or conventional walls for a finished but earthy look with no volatile organic compounds.
Also on display will be samples of the building technique known as wattle and daub, and a some fresh cob for visitors to see and feel. The event will be open between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m., and the & Loan Gallery is located at 33 Victoria Crescent in downtown Nanaimo.
check us out at www.mudgirls.ca
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Energy Management, Indoor Environmental Quality and LEED
December 2nd, 2008
I had a friend of mine who is a renovations carpenter recently say to me that green builders really annoy them. The special materials are all over-priced, and require special ways of installing. Green building is currently in the process of being defined (please see the canadian green building council website www.cagbc.org ), but it generally does use some new engineered technologies and innovations that old school carpenters may not be familiar with, making it more expensive and more difficult to do. This raises the question of whether or not it is worth the added cost and trouble, that is if you can find someone who really knows how to do it.
Doing it properly is the key. Green building is meant to address all parts of the building simultaneously, creating a system that works together as healthfully and harmoniously as possible. Energy use, water use, and air quality are all important design elements, and all need to work together. This really requires a whole new way of designing buildings, and raises the question of how the new “green” building products can really integrate themselves into the old way of doing things. Using just one or two green building products to raise your buildings profile may be a hazardous proposal, and not to your benefit. Here is a story that may illustrate my point.
I went to a new “urban eclectic” condo development recently to look around. The units were well-priced, not too expensive at all, and modern looking. The sales person told me that they could not create affordable units using green building, but that they did go as far as to have triple paned LEED quality windows. (tapping the glass) As I walked around I noticed the new carpet, linoleum, adhesive attached plastic tub surround, mdf mouldings. Pretty much everything else in the building was as gluey and manufactured as you can get. I could smell the formaldehyde from the carpet. Suddenly the triple-paned barely-openable green windows made the condo seem like a death trap! Holy Shit! Get some fresh air in here people! I’m not a crazy person! Am I really the only one who can smell this?!
Green building, with LEED as its forerunner, is primarily concerned with efficient energy management. LEED stands for The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Using Energy efficiently is in itself is a noble cause, however the energy that it is using efficiently is often the same old fossil fuels. This is a recognized drawback to believing in LEED being the future of sustainable design. Sealing the building completely so that you can utilize every square inch of hot air your gas furnace or geothermal heating system pumps out seems to make sense to conserve energy but the danger is there, especially if you go halfway like the condo developers did, of trapping dangerous fumes inside your house with you.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when looking at green building products:
How is this made? What sort of chemicals does it contain? What sort of processing does it undergo?
Where is this made? How far did each component travel before getting here?
How is this really going to benefit me? and most importantly, How will this work with the rest of my building?
