Archive for November, 2014

5×4 Presented at World Sustainability Conference Barcelona

Posted on: November 27th, 2014 by Barley Store

 
Our humble 5×4 Project has developed more global momentum this week after being presented at the World Sustainability Conference (WSC) in Barcelona. A case study on the project by R.H. Crawford and T. Hollingsbee was presented, which assessed the Embodied Energy of our building, and how we have optimised its energy performance. The Embodied Energy is the consumption of energy over the lifespan of the building, including construction, materials manufacturing, and of course recurring energy costs – such as appliances etc.
 
The case study and resulting presentation looked at measures that the 5×4 project had taken to substantially lower the embodied energy of the building, and using environmentally friendly materials and appliances, building consciously for minimum energy consumption, and finally generating green electricity through solar power to cover the remaining energy costs.
 

Click here to download the complete paper, or visit the WSC website for more about their sustainable ambitions and their next conference in 2017.
 


WSC-Barcelona
 

5×4 Features in The Age

Posted on: November 25th, 2014 by Barley Store

 


Age Article

5×4 was the topic of discussion today in an article on how timber frames and structures are the way of the future.
Philip Hopkins wrote about timber’s Eco nature when compared to steel and concrete, and the ease of new-age prefabrication.
Read the article on The Age website!
 

Rooftop Hot Tub

Posted on: November 24th, 2014 by Barley Store

 
Ukko has arrived with the hot tub. The hot tub itself is made from Canadian Western Red Cedar, and the crew from Ukko hoisted it up to the roof in pieces, assembling it once it was up there. Completely handmade, it is just asking for the rooftop deck to be built around it.


The hot tub is heated by the same method as the rest of the hot water system throughout the building, utilising the geothermal heat pump.
 

Solar system installed on test site

Posted on: November 18th, 2014 by Barley Store

 
Torus Group installed the solar panels on the test site today, in an effort to offset the emissions of the build. This meant our test site would be generating enough power to effectively make the build carbon neutral, fitting in with our project mantra.

_RBP5013

 
The solar panels on the roof of the test site send the solar-generated electricity back into the grid, which means that when we come to power electronic equipment and tools – and draw power from the grid – our kilowatt usage will be neutralised. It seems like a rather roundabout method, but batteries for storing solar powered electricity are yet to be made for private systems at a reasonable price, which means that operating through the grid is still the most practical way for urban dwellers to run their solar power.