Despite recent torrential rain, progress is being made on site by Earthwise Construction on a new-build two-storey cafe / art studio for Goldfinch Create and Play.
As well as designing this building to be highly energy efficient (with the aim of certifying as a PassivHaus), the walls, first floor and roof structure are predominantly built with timber, rather than steel, to reduce embodied carbon. The walls will first be built hollow, with a layer of wood fibre insulation fixed externally, before being filled with blown cellulose insulation (essentially shredded newspaper). Aside from the focus on timber-based building materials (which lock carbon into the building), the timber frame construction allows the building to be erected much faster than a traditional masonry design. The first-floor walls in these photos went up in a week.
The next stage is to get the roof on as quickly as possible to keep the rain out. This should be constructed and weathertight by the time the contractor takes a well-deserved Christmas break.
The site will get very busy in the new year as sub-contractors arrive and commence with the next stages. We are looking forward to giving more updates.
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