Natural Building Technologies LTD

08/03/2018

Natural Building UK LTD is a distributor of environmentally conscious building systems with a grand ambition to improve the quality of housing for the UK. We work with a network of Architects, Builders Merchants and Contractors across the country to deliver a better built living environment.

Due to recent expansion and a desire to fuel growth, we are looking to increase our office sales staff by employing a strong candidate, preferably with previous experience in the building materials sector. The candidate will be working in a friendly office environment, and will interface with a range of customers from specifiers to installers.

Duties
- Order management and quotation support
- Lead identification and chasing
- Account management
- Maintaining successful working relationships
- Excellent telephone manner
- Effective use of the CRM system
- Logistics arrangements

Additional Requirements
- Excellent literacy and numeracy skills
- Good IT skills (Office, E-mail, CRM)

Job Type: Full-time
Salary: £17,000.00 to £24,000.00

26/02/2018

Part L Building Regs have put a strong focus on improving U-values, with progressively more demanding stipulations geared towards improving the thermal performance of our built environment.

It’s helped both environmental best practice and building comfort move forward substantially, however, the problem is the gap between specification and performance often remains substantial.

Many buildings fail to deliver their designed thermal performance because, while the insulation specified meets the U-value calculations required, even small errors in detail design on installation can cause a significant reduction in thermal performance.

The U value is calculated based on the heat loss of a building’s principal areas – such as the walls, roof and windows – and the specification is based on an assumption that the U-value will be achieved consistently based on the insulation materials used. However thermal bridging can account for as much as a third of a building’s heat loss once good levels of U-value have been reached so minimising heat loss at critical junctions is vital to the thermal performance of the finished building.

Pavatex woodfibre insulation from NBT is designed with tongue and groove connections on the perimeter of every panel, ensuring that there are no gaps or misalignment, it can then be used as a complete external wrap around the structure. In this way, our technology offers excellent thermal performance with a reduced amount of insulation waste.

If you’d like to know more about how Pavatex woodfibre insulation can help you build better thermal performance into every project, why not give us a call on 01844 338 338 or visit our website www.natural-building.co.uk

09/02/2018

Although the worst of winter has now passed, houses with inherant mould issues are still prevalent. It must be understood by homeowners, tenants and landlords alike that the problem must be treated. Simply treating the symptoms of a mould issue will not stop mould from returning. You are simply kicking the problem further into the future at which point it could come back with a vengeance.

07/12/2017

The Construction Index has released this article talking about the satisfaction levels of homeowners who have had homes built by SME Builders vs The top 20 UK house builders.

Unsurprisingly, satisfaction levels are higher among the SMEs whose reputations rely on the quality of the work they produce. Often the big builders sub out the contracts to contractors who do not have the same concerns regarding their reputation. Instead they are often more concerned about completing there part of the contract on time in order to avoid being out of pocket. This in turn leads to cut corners, poor detailing and in some cases unlivable conditions at a later date.

The only people who ultimately suffer are the homeowners whose dream home was not built with love and consideration. But instead built to meet deadlines, material costs and labour costs.

The big house builders currently account for around 2/3rds of all new build homes and is likely to grow further. Our approach to building as a nation has a lot to answer for and requires serious reflection.

Full Article -
http://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/smaller-builders-mean-happier-customers-says-survey

04/12/2017

ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR RETROFITTING

Renovating old buildings and bringing classic designs in line with contemporary standards has high appeal. There are obviously aesthetic benefits to retrofitting, as older constructions have qualities that may not be easily replicated in new builds. Cost and location may also be taken into account. However when choosing the materials used in retrofits there are considerations that extend beyond the cosmetic.

With new legislation and an increased awareness of environmental issues, many of us are more aware than ever of using materials that reduce energy use and carbon emission.

WHY ENERGY EFFICIENCY?
Old buildings tend to need detailed work to reduce heat loss. Quite often the solutions used to reduce heat loss do not achieve the desired effect, but more significantly, they create other problems. The most significant of these problems is the trapping of moisture in the building fabric, which in turn leads to significant fabric decay and poor health for the occupant.

"This is why natural building materials are being incorporated into retrofits, in order to provide a guaranteed and effective method of energy reduction and fabric moisture control"
- Andy Mitchell

Pavatex woodfibre, one of the natural materials that Natural Building Technologies (NBT) distributes, outperforms synthetic insulation. Synthetic insulations simply can’t wick moisture and regulate moisture in the building fabric, and health and comfort are surely as non-negotiable as energy efficiency.

The attached chart below illustrates how energy use is distributed in domestic dwellings.
- Diagram Credit: Institute for Sustainability

As you can see, 60% of all energy lost in a domestic dwelling is through space heating. Lighting only accounts for 3% of all domestic energy use – surprising when you consider how conservative we are becoming as a society with regards to energy saving lighting. Of course taking these other factors into consideration is important, however space heating uses much more energy and is a lot more expensive over the long term than any other contributor.

External walls and draughts are the biggest reasons for a need for space heating, with floors and roofs also contributing to temperature loss air leakage, and this is where many of our efforts are focused. Natural Building Technologies (NBT) use Building Envelope Designs to ensure heat isn’t lost in key areas.

"Building envelope design is now understood as the most effective route to delivering low energy and low carbon solutions and the principal component to any zero carbon strategy"
- Peter Warm

HOW TO SAVE ENERGY AND REDUCE EMISSIONS
There are three key areas we achieve energy efficiencies with our technologies.

They are:
creating balance between u-values, thermal bridging and air tightness.
ensuring long-term high performance in energy reduction
providing effective moisture control in the building fabric by using the right materials AND the right specification
Our team has a long history of providing detailed specification services to ensure the right product is used in the right way, based on the building type and location. We use natural materials to obtain results because only natural materials contain the necessary properties.
To find out more about achieve energy efficiently results in retrofitting, you can watch this video from Andrew Mitchell, NBT Sales and Technical Director or contact us for some free advice.

21/11/2017

BRINGING TRADITIONAL DWELLINGS UP TO STANDARD

Ensuring traditional buildings are functional and up to modern standards needs to be a priority.

A number of groups have consulted the government on energy efficiency in homes. Think-tank Policy exchange (PX) have proposed that energy efficiency in domestic dwelling becomes a key infrastructure priority. To achieve this efficiency, old and traditional buildings need to be properly insulated. 60% of energy used in the home is expended on space heating, and by reducing the amount of heat needed to keep the building warm, we can dramatically reduce energy consumption. Until this happens, PX say the UK could miss carbon emissions targets.

It’s pretty much a no-brainer. Bringing people’s homes up to standard is incredibly good value for money. We don’t typically think of housing as infrastructure like we think of roads and railways – but we’ve got to change the way we approach this: housing is critical infrastructure.
- Richard Howard of PX

Good housing is arguably more essential than good roads and railways due to the enormous impact housing has on health and well-being (both mental as well as physical). It is important to note though, that improving the thermal performance of a building can lead to additional problems being created, such as moisture build up in the building fabric leading to mould growth etc. Careful consideration needs to be taken with the materials and the way they are implemented in the building process. We highlight the need for good materials here, looking at how trapped moisture can destroy building structures. This video from the STBA explains the challenges faced in bringing traditional buildings up to standard.

https://youtu.be/6KFC0vbxii8

16/11/2017

WHAT IS “THE PERFORMANCE GAP”?

What do we mean by the “performance gap” when we talk about buildings?

When a building is designed, there is a targeted level of energy performance. Once a building is completed however, the reality is that these targets often aren’t achieved. The focus at the moment is on closing the gap between intended and actual energy performance, but it is becoming obvious to everyone that there is also an equal or greater gap in ventilation performance, comfort (particularly overheating) and general environmental performance.

MORE THAN ENERGY
We are also concerned with the gap in fabric durability, usability and in what we term as “delight”, which covers issues such as daylighting, spacial layout and quality of finish. These are all important because buildings are more than just energy machines. They have a considerable impact on our well-being, culture and environment in many different ways.

COMPLEX BUILDINGS
In the building sector, there seems to be an acceptance of the performance gap as an inevitable consequence of the complexity of buildings. This is convenient to mainstream practice as it is a way of avoiding addressing these issues, and it means not having to change practice and process in the industry. But is this acceptable?

AN INDUSTRY PROBLEM
Most of the problems arise in the design and construction (or renovation) of buildings which can be addressed through better knowledge and more care. It does of course require legislation and realistic policy which focuses not on world beating technologies, or single focus targets, but on long term all round performance. Blaming governments however is no excuse for most of the performance gaps. The industry has to stop being in denial.

“GOOD” AS STANDARD
Delivering buildings which are not healthy, comfortable or usable is not only irresponsible, but unprofessional. Good buildings should not be an added value offering, but the standard offering. The bar has to be reset. Those projects which fail to meet the performance which is required for a good building should not merely be seen as average, but as unacceptable. As failures.

SELF-RESPECT
In resetting the bar and widening the notion of performance, we can not only drive much needed changes in practice in this sector, but also raise the public status of building as well as industry self-respect. We can also start to reduce the importance and viability of those players who don’t care and whose only concern is the gap in their profits. It is time to get real.

15/11/2017

Take a look at a passive house development scheme that featured in Passive House Plus magazine, which aims to provide affordable housing in Outwell, Norfolk.

Natural Building Technologies were asked to provide insulation materials for a number of affordable homes in the village of Outwell. Hastoe Housing Association were approached by the local district council to develop 15 affordable homes to passive house standard. John Lefever of Hastoe commented on the affordability of the properties:

We have to charge what’s called affordable rents, which are slightly higher than the old social rents. So our board took the view – is there any way we can offset this? The obvious way forward is to deliver something that will ensure that [residents] fuel costs are much lower than normal. Hence passive house.

The project was initiated with a people first approach. Thinking about the needs of the inhabitants, the materials were chosen in response.

“The way we approached it was to keep it as simple as we can, use tried and tested products and material, keep the building footprints as tight as they could be to meet the housing association requirements and not put lots of fancy bolt-ons on”.

David Thompson of architects Ingleton Wood

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PAVATEX WOOD FIBRE INSULATION
Natural Building Technology’s Pavatex wood fibre insulation was selected for use in the project, with 100mm of Pavatherm-Plus installed over a 195mm deep insulated timber frame. The thermal performance of building envelopes are primarily based on three main factors: U-values, airtightness and Y-values. The latter two can be improved at no cost to reduce the U-value requirement and wall thickness, eventually reducing overall cost. The insulation was installed over the timber frame to ensure thermal continuity through the immediate floor zones. Wrapping the timber frame with woodfibre not only provides better U-values but also minimises thermal bridging at floor junctions, around windows and at other similar junctions where insulating between the frame is impossible. Furthermore, the low thermal bridging value is also reflected in SAP calculations as Y-values.

PROJECT STATISTICS
EPC rating achieved:
B83-B86

Space heating demand:
Average of 9 kWh/m2/yr

Airtightness Level achieved (at 50 Pascals):
Average of 0.57 ACH

Primary energy use:
105 kWh/m2/yr

U-Values achieved:
Walls – 0.137 W/m2K
Roof – 0.105 W/m2K
Floor – 0.17 W/m2K

PRODUCTS USED IN THIS PROJECT…
Pavatherm Plus

15/11/2017

31/10/2017

We are running a training course on November 23rd 2017 at our location in Oakley Buckinghamshire.

All interested parties should make inquiries directly with James King - [email protected]

EWI Training
- Presentations (Building Physics, Industry Drivers, Energy Efficiency)
- Installation (Woodfibre, Beads & Rails, Fixings + Plinth)
- Lime Overview, Rendering, Finishing,
- The importance of Detailing
- Q&A
- Project overview

Discounts available on group bookings.

NBT - 01844 338338

06/10/2017

An excellent piece written by Matthew Wellesley Smith.

Avoidance and diagnosis of problems associated with internal wall insulation
(4 October 2017)

Internally insulating solid masonry walls can have a hugely positive impact on comfort, but doing so without regard for this relationship can lead to undesirable consequences, including trapped moisture and mould growth. A well-designed specification informed by a good understanding of the building and its context will preclude any unintended consequences.

The avoidance and diagnosis of problems associated with internal wall insulation is addressed in a new publication by Matthew Smith. Internally insulating a solid walled property can lead to a dramatic increase in comfort and energy efficiency. The high density of stone or brick that makes masonry walls so stable and resilient is associated with high thermal conductivity; a significant level of heating is therefore required to provide comfort in these buildings.

A minimal level of insulation can reduce the heat loss through masonry by over 60%, and while quantifying the impact of this on the thermal performance of a whole building requires further research, the potential benefit is obvious: Internal solid wall insulation is among the top three measures for potential fuel savings from domestic buildings.

However, the unintended consequences of insulating internally are poorly understood, and a tendency to regard the installation of internal wall insulation (IWI) as akin to wallpapering, can result in defects that impair structural integrity and occupant health.

The majority of these issues are related to moisture, due to the impact on drying potential of the masonry and the relocation of potential dewpoint (temperature at which condensation occurs for a defined vapour pressure) within the wall. As insulation and airtightness levels increase to maximise energy efficiency, management of water vapour is proving increasingly difficult to achieve. IWI is the most sensitive test-bed for a successful approach.

Author: Matthew Smith, Natural Building Technologies

Source: Journal of Building Survey, Appraisal & Valuation, Volume 6 / Number 1 / Summer 2017, pp. 11-25(15)

http://www.ukcmb.org/ukcmb-news/avoidance-and-diagnosis-of-problems-associated-with-internal-wall-insulation

Internally insulating solid masonry walls can have a hugely positive impact on comfort, but doing so without regard for this relationship can lead to undesirable consequences, including trapped moisture and mould growth. A well-designed specification informed by a good understanding of the building…

04/10/2017

NBT's Timber Frame Clad system.

When building with a Timber Frame, there is no more logical insulation than Woodfibre! Boost the sustainability levels, increase the natural contents of your building, and tackle the cold - as well as overheating - by using a tested insulation material manufactured by PAVATEX.

The simplicity of the details and components makes woodfibre a favourite for architects.
The usability and the joy of working the materials makes them a favourite for self-builders and contractors alike.

For more information give NBT a call - 01844338338