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Wednesday, 15 October 2003 |
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Earthship Fife is Scotland's first Earthship, and the first Earthship in the UK. It is based at Craigencalt Farm Ecology Centre, Kinghorn, Fife, (link to Craigencalt report) which has already developed as an educational environmental centre. The Centre has created a nature reserve using landfill tax and has opened as a visitor centre.
Overview
PROJECT SUMMARY
Sustainable Communities Initiative objectives are to:
- encourage and support sustainable living
- promote the need to minimise waste
- demonstrate innovative and empowering ways for communities to become more sustainable
Earthship Fife is Scotland's first Earthship, and the first Earthship in the UK. It is based at Craigencalt Farm Ecology Centre, Kinghorn, Fife, (link to Craigencalt report) which has already developed as an educational environmental centre. The Centre has created a nature reserve using landfill tax and has opened as a visitor centre.
Earthships are solar powered homes and work spaces, built from a massive waste problem - used tyres. They are buildings that work with the planets natural systems - using the sun's energy and rain to provide heat, power and water. They do not make use of greenhouse gas emitting power stations, nor do they rely on mains water or waste services. This makes them autonomous and therefore cheap to run.
KEY PARTNERS
Earthship Fife has been sponsored by the following companies who have given support in kind.
CETCO Europe Ltd, CONSTRUCTION WATERPROOFING GROUP
Represented in Scotland by E & M Associates
16 Muirpark Way, DRYMEN, Glasgow G63 0DX Tel: 01360 660361 Fax: 01360 660804
Cartmore Building Supplies
Crammond Select Homes
Hertalan
Foamglass
Second Nature UK Ltd
Gradient Insulations (UK) Ltd
David Terris Smith
M.A.C. Window Systems Ltd
Encore Environmental Aggregates
Scotash
Purvis Plant Hire
Mirrey McGregor Electrical
For more details of the businesses see the SCI website.
FUNDERS
Forward Scotland 5,000.
Fresh Futures 20,564
Local Economic Development - Fife Council 6,000
Fife Environment Trust 10,914
Shell Better Britain Campaign 2,000
Scottish Power 6,000
The Russell Trust 2,000
Scottish Clean Energy Demonstration Scheme 28,944
The Lintel Trust 2,500
There was a significant input of voluntary labour.
As this is a demonstration building this does not reflect what it would cost to build a residential unit.
THEMATIC CRITERIA
Fife/ Perthshire/ Tayside; Sustainable Communities; Energy; Recycling / Waste reduction
Plan
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
A demonstration of sustainable construction (the "Earthship") is a dwelling with minimal energy and water use, and minimum waste. The result will be a thermally-dynamic building capable of heating and cooling itself, which contains its own sewage, generates its own power and catches its own water. The Earthship uses an earth rammed tyre technique for building the load bearing walls and uses cans and bottles in the non-load bearing walls.
FUTURE STEPS
This is a prototype project in Scotland and will provide important information on the viability of the future production of highly environmentally sustainable buildings.
There is potential for Future Earthship buildings, both as community buildings and houses. Hopefully this project will be a catalyst for expanding outreach of organisation in work using waste as materials in the community.
Progress
Sustainable Communities Initiative based at Craigencalt Farm Ecology Centre co-ordinated the design and instruction of the project.
- construction has a low impact on the local environment both physically and visually
- experts worked with volunteers to construct the house
�the Resource Centre will be open to the public to show the design in operation
- design will contribute to awareness of resource efficiency & demonstrate technologies which can contribute towards this
The construction programme is on schedule, with the bulk of the building works now complete. During an intensive 8-day building programme in July 2002 with American Earthship builders, including Earthship pioneer Michael Reynolds, and 11 trainees from across Scotland and England, the Earthship was built.
The Earthship will be completed through a series of work experience weekends and workdays which will run until April 2003 for the working weekends and the autonomous systems and interior work will begin in February 2003. Phase 2 started January '03, will be complete May '03
All work is undertaken by the local community and volunteers.
Interior finishes would be undertaken later by the local community and volunteers. The installation of the power and sewage systems will also carried out by the local community and volunteers.
The external structure was completed December 2002. Utilities will be installed by April 2003. The floor was laid November 2002. Furniture and fittings are to be installed by May 2003 just prior to opening.
Craigencalt Farm Ecology Centre, a community orientated environmental education charity, has public access for all including schools, and colleges, and will serve as an educational and research building for renewable technologies, alternative building in Scotland and the development of renewable energy.
Earthship Fife was granted full planning permission and a 5 year building warrant. Although the building is to be used as a demonstration centre the housing standards were applied to both applications.
The building process and legislative procedure taken through the building of Earthship Fife has been documented by SCI and will be available shortly in video, CD and booklet formats. Order forms will be posted on their website.
Review
ACHIEVEMENTS
Once complete the Earthship will be open to general visitors, schools and colleges. This is expected to commence by summer 03. 3000 people per year visit the site where the Earthship is located. 12,000 visitors are predicted for 2003.
Sustainable Communities Initiative are running a 3 year monitoring programme for Earthship building techniques in Scotland which will also involve a Scottish university to look at how well the building functions in a Scottish climate.
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