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The smell of wet clay still hung in the air when SmartPlanet turned up at Hackney City Farm to see BBC's Ground Force star Tommy Walsh cut the ribbon to Hackney's first strawbale building, which is going to serve as an Education Resource Centre at the farm. We chatted straw, farm pigs and eco-building with Walsh.
SmartPlanet: How come you're cutting the ribbon to the new strawbale building?
Tommy Walsh: I've been patron for Hackney City Farm for five years and it's always an honour to be involved in something like this. Hackney City Farm is a special place -- an incredible, valuable asset for inner city kids and local people in general. It's a place they can come and learn about reality and find out that pork chops come from a pig and not everything comes from Tesco. And a project like this [the strawbale building] brings people in and shows them what, and how, to do something in a more eco-friendly way. I think that's great.
SP: Have you been involved in eco-building projects previously?
TW: I've just finished a project with Discovery Channel where I set the challenge of building a two-bedroom for £60,000 with as many green features as possible.
I've always wondered why social housing has to look like social housing and with this project we've proved that not only is it possible to make a contemporary, great house for £60,000, we've also made it as eco-friendly as possible -- except for an Italian staircase and some tiles. I wanted to present to people the environmentally friendly way of building in digestible bites and hope they come back for the full five-course menu -- that we've inspired them to embrace the eco-ethos.
SP: Do you think eco-building is the way forward?
TW: Oh yes, there's no doubt about that! We better buy into it sooner rather than later. I think we are near the point of no return [with regards to climate change], and as this strawbale building shows, we've come a full circle and now have to start thinking about old-fashioned, traditional ways of building again. Years ago they built in a much more eco-friendly way than we've done. And even if you don't care too much about the environment, the financial gain of building in a green way should be enough of an incentive.
SP: Have you got any green tips for us?
TW: Eco-building is not just about solar panels and reclaimed materials. When you work to a tight budget, as most people do, it's also about using traditional materials, but in a smart, eco-friendly way. For example, for the project we did with Discovery Channel, we looked at insulation. Sheep-wool insulation is much more expensive than conventional insulation -- the Government needs to do something about that by the way. But if we insulate on the outside rather than on the inside, it keeps the heat in much better -- a bit like a tea cosy -- and we can save lots of energy. We should also start designing new houses better -- like the Victorian houses -- with basements, which can be made completely water-proof now. They are great for thermal heating.
SP: Are we going to see you run around people's gardens and put up strawbale conservatories and sheds soon?
TW: I haven't made strawbale sheds yet, but on Trading Places we worked a lot with traditional materials, for example cob-blocks, which are building blocks made out of clay and straw. It's a bit tricky doing these kinds of things in cities and urban areas, but I do it when I can -- to inspire people and take the mystique out of working with traditional materials.
SP: Would you live in a strawbale house?
TW: Yes I would. As long as it's warm and comfortable I don't mind. I don’t think embracing eco-ethos means we have to abandon all our comforts.
About Hackney City Farm's strawbale building:
* The strawbales came from a nearby farm and have only clogged up 37 'strawbale-miles'
* The roof insulation is wool and comes from the farm's sheep
* Much of the wood used comes from a salvaged 1930s teak boat, the cross-beam was once part of the Norfolk sea defences and the rest is coppiced wood from the farm manager's own farm in Kent
* All waste straw from the building was reused for bedding on the farm
Project Manager, Emma Appleton, told SmartPlanet that although the idea of building the farm's education and research centre out of straw and reclaimed materials has been under way for a long time, it has only taken about six months to actually build it. This is pretty good considering all the work has been done by around a 100 volunteers -- including unemployed people, asylum seekers, refugees and people from the probation service.
Appleton says: "The biggest challenges were working with a 100 people, who haven't got any building experience -- and not using conventional materials. But it's been a fantastic experience!"
Barbara Jones from Amazonails, who brought strawbale building to the UK and who has lent her expertise to the Hackney City Farm project, told us that strawbale building is unique because its use of eco-materials and lack of toxic and extremely heavy materials and machinery means absolutely everyone can get involved.
17 July 2008 07:31pm
Hi Tommy...where were you born and what was your father's name? My first boyfriend was named Tommy Walsh and we met when he visited his grandmother is south wales...co-incidence!!!
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