25 October 2012

Don't forget this year's Passivhaus conference!


This year's Passivhaus conference, taking place on 7 - 9th November in Nottingham, will surely be another great event, possibly the best of the year for sharing experiences and learning from great minds about all things passivhaus. We look forward to the fantastic line-up of knowledgeable speakers and site visits. Fran will be there discussing the Ecohub project. More info and programme here. We hope to see you there!

17 October 2012

Stoke house retrofit shortlisted for award

23 St Luke Street has been shortlisted for Domestic Retrofit Project of the Year in the Retro Expo Awards. Nearly 100 entries were received and the judges were extremely impressed with the high quality across the board. The Awards will be presented at an evening reception on Wednesday 31 October at Retro Expo. More info on our website.

10 October 2012

Two years later: Review of Lewisham self-build scheme


Project review visit at Beechmont Close, two years after completion - the project designed with and for 12 young people from the housing list, who trained in building skills at college and worked on site with the contractor for the whole construction period. The place is in beautiful condition, confirming all our hopes about the young people's feelings of ownership for the place, and the guys who do the regular maintenance have been giving it 'gold' - see picture. Of the young people, one has gone on to qualify and work as a bricklayer, and nearly all are in work although one sadly lost his flat as a result of being involved in the riots last year, which I was very sorry to hear. 
The contractor - Enterprise - site foreman is still in touch with the young people on a regular basis, and the experience has been a boost to his career development too. Overall a real inspiration!
Fran