Building our green future (From Free Press Series)

Building our green future

TORFAEN's most environmentally friendly building has been officially launched.

The £300,000 Eco-building, on Springvale Industrial Estate, in Cwmbran, has been created to demonstrate sustainable building practices and will be used by Torfaen Council to host a range of environmental seminars, workshops and demonstrations for local businesses aimed at helping them reduce their environmental impact.

The structure is the only building in the UK to have a dome shaped straw bale roof. A spokesman for the council explained straw bales were also used to insulate the walls.

He said: "Straw is an excellent insulator and will stop heat escaping. The building is also ventilated naturally using the difference in pressure between the inside and outside of the building. This creates an airflow to ventilate the building. The timber and straw were bought from a Cwmbran farm and even the workers who built it were from the local area."

Rain water running off the roof is collected for use in the toilet system and the building has also been fitted with low energy lighting to ensure minimum maintenance and cheap running costs.

Councillor Bob Wellington, Leader of Torfaen Council, said: "We enjoy leading the way in Torfaen. Our eco-building is a great example of how new buildings can be built with the environment in mind. People visiting it can see for themselves how environmentally friendly it is. We want others to learn from us and use similar building techniques in their own projects. It will be mean low energy use which in turn will mean it will be low cost to run."

The building is part of a trans-national project funded from the Interreg IIIB programme, which is aimed at improving environmental management on industrial estates.

Visits to the Eco-building can be arranged. For more information contact Rachael O'Shaughnessy on 01633 648018.