New Build

New Build

1. WISE building at CAT.

This outstanding organisation is just completing this large scale new build which will seriously enhance their capacity as a teaching facility. This is the second rammed earth build they have done. The first was all straight lines, but this is a 15m diameter circle with walls rising to 7m to form their new lecture theatre

Ram Cast CIC were consultants to the main contractor who have no previous experience of this technology. Despite this they did have in-house skills covering all the main areas needed: plant, formwork, materials handling and labout management.

The job used formwork which can be formed into curves as low as 7m in diameter, but is very expensive!  After sourcing the material at the quarry, detailed work was done to ensure the walls would stand up to 7m height before drying at the 700mm design thickness of the wall.

2. Letham Park Shelter – Arc Architects
This new shelter is the centrepiece in the renewal of the village park in Letham. The project was led by the community, including the Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery, Monimail Community Council and North Howe Transition Toun.
The shelter walls were built of mudwall, a mix of clay and straw, by Little & Davie Construction assisted by volunteers including Letham Primary School and the Nursery. The roof of oak shingles over a larch structure was built by Paul and Tom from Arc Architects who designed the building.

The shelter was designed to provide a robust and long-lasting structure that would be fun to build for children and pensioners as well as professional builders. By fundraising and building together, the project has fostered community cohesion as well as appreciation of traditional and ecological buildings techniques

3. Clay plastered Office – Arc Architects

This conversion of an old building into a new office by Arc Architects, used clay plaster as the internal finish among a family of eco materials. The plaster was laid onto wood fibre boards, both as a single finishing coat and as a base coat with hemp fibre where there are wall heating pipes. Some of the plaster was left natural finish, while other places have been finished with a marble dust limewash. The use of clay plaster contributes to a good air quality in the office.

4. Affordable Eco House – Arc Architects
This new house in Perthshire was designed to test how green a house can be built within the constraints of low cost housing. Favouring natural local materials over complicated design or sophisticated equipment, a high standard of construction was achieved with low environmental impact and used earth bricks and clay plaster.
The house used the earth materials in a vapour permeable construction to help create a healthy indoor environment, with known asthma and allergy triggers avoided through the passive regulation of relative humidity. The house is also very thermally efficient with the clay bricks contributing to thermal mass. The innovative approach that was monitored as part of a 3-year DTI sponsored research programme.