| Environment |
Russell Smith is a Chartered Civil Engineer who has founded his organisations to meet the urgent need to minimise the environmental impact of our existing housing stock. Here are a few lines to describe the companies and how they fit together:
“Both organisations serve clients wanting to clarify their improvement options and then make them happen. We also offer technical support for building trades/professionals needing to improve their ability to use appropriate environmentally considerate materials, techniques and technologies. As three-time national award winners for our sustainable development achievements, we understand the capabilities of the latest energy technologies and how they fit with conventional building techniques. Every property is unique in some way, and we consider it as a complete system, identifying the most appropriate measures for upgrade and how to implement them in the most cost effective way, with the least disruption. Buildings provide more than a roof over one’s head. If created and managed well, they facilitate comfortable lifestyles and foster a sense of belonging in a community. Buildings are a core part of our life process. In the UK, to feed such processes we draw 42% of all the energy we generate into our buildings. Not only is this very expensive but it is adding to an already unacceptable level of Carbon Dioxide in our atmosphere which contributes to global warming. To say that this is not a big issue would be a gross misjudgement. When considering the quote from the Sustainable Development Commission opposite, where will the reduction in Carbon come from if the Government focuses its attention on improving building regulations for new-build housing only? Clearly, the entire building stock cannot be rebuilt overnight, so the performance of this existing stock must improve.
"We have trialled all of the concepts that we advocate in a demonstration house in Sutton, Surrey. One key part was dealing with ‘regular’ building issues, one of which is dealing with damp. Conventionally either a new plastic course is installed by removing a mortar layer with an angle grinder (which may cause the wall to settle unevenly over time) or by installing a proprietary injection system (which tends to use high risk chemicals with varying degrees of success), pictured left. Both options prevent moisture from rising into the wall structure. A search of viable alternatives brought us to the Schrijver Systeem® UK which speeds up the natural drying process of the wall through the installation of their air-flow system to the outside wall face. This approach therefore provides assistance to the moisture coming from inside the building and prevents rising damp from progressing upwards. It is a natural process of drying, does not involve harmful products, it was quick to install and the improvements are measurable – ideal for this demonstration of environmental responsibility. We were very happy that the walls were completely dry and ready for plastering internally in 3 months." Russell Smith Managing Director  Please click the logo to visit the website. 
Winners of Building Magazine's 2007 Award for Sustainable Refurbishment - See LINK for details Runners-up in the Sustainable Building category of the Sustainable City Awards 2008 |
