Year: 2007

Moulds are a type of fungi, the group of very common organisms that includes mushrooms and yeasts. Moulds are most likely to grow in wet or damp conditions. In the home, places at threat from mould growth include wall, ceiling and floor coverings, insulation material and wooden constructions that have become dampened by water ingress.…

A rainbow rose over the pipeline today! I must admit I loathe the thing. It’s a great example of the way that big corporate culture rules this country and steam-rollers everything in its way, be that our heritage (Roman road found at gas pipeline) or our opinions (Final pipeline protester removed). It is also an…

I was recently wandering around the web rooting through building and design related sites and came across a reference to John Ruskin’s Seven Lamps of Architecture intrigued by the title, I decided to do some more digging and came across one of the foundations of architecture over the last 150 years. I’ve not yet read…

At the heart of our lighting design we should place the central concept of the relationship between day and night, light and dark that lies within our most natural rhythms. This is a complex discipline in that the direction of the sun at given times of the day & the year, the orientation of a…

One end of the heating — cooling continuum, heating is one of the hottest (sorry about the pun!) topics when it comes to healthy and green building. The optimum temperature within our healthy home, lies somewhere between 15 & 25 Degrees Celsius. The exact temperature will vary dependant upon a number of variables. These variables…

Having fed my lime pointing addiction over the last few weeks, my overall approach is established: To begin with the lime mortar is generally sound, if crumbly in places and needing some attention. After hacking back there are some deep areas needing extensive filling and other areas that remain mainly intact. Pointing is done using…

Our comfort zone, in terms of the optimum temperature within our healthy home, lies somewhere between 15 & 25 Degrees Celsius. The exact temperature will vary dependant upon a number of variables, which include surface temperatures, moisture in the air, movement of the air and the nature of any heat emitted in the environment. To…

So I’ve managed to go an get myself a new hobby, which is really the last thing I need at the moment as I have more than enough to fill my days as it is. I must admit, I’ve been bitten by the pointing bug. I’ve also had my first experience of lime in the…

There is a growing body of research that suggests that exposure to electric & electromagnetic fields especially from high voltage sources may be detrimental to health. Electric fields are produced wherever and whenever there is a flow of voltage. This occurs through any electric cable or appliance even when it is switched off. Electromagnetic fields…

The field of psychology recognises the affect that colour has upon us, not merely as a matter of subjectively favouring certain colours, but in terms of our base characteristics & responses. …Dr Ashley felt that colo(u)r has a great deal to do with the well-being of the emotionally disturbed. Nurse Diesel, High Anxiety, Directed by…

We bought the barn with planning permission in place. The plans were very simple and low impact. The structure of the building remained unchanged, utilising existing windows and doors, with the simple addition of some small velux windows in the roof. When we came to readdress the plans with our designer, the opportunity presented itself…

An allergy is a hypersensitivity to what are normally innocuous entities such as certain foodstuffs, cleaning products, dust, plant pollen and so on. Whilst debate over the scale, change in scale and root causes of people suffering from allergies is beyond the scope of this article, consideration of how to minimise the impact of allergens…