Ecobuild claims to be the world’s biggest event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment – although that claim doesn’t sound very ‘eco’. Bigger? I though Small is Beautiful. Anyway…

Ecobuild show Excel London 2012 solar display

This show is focussing on “new eco thinking and challenging designs“. Although Eco is still outside the mainstream. New Building Regulations are very good for insul;ation – which is the main factor for an eco home. Other things tend to be a bit expensive, so stay in the luxury or niche market. Such as grey water recycling, sustainable materials (like hempcrete – hemp to make building blocks), straw, recycled materials, etc.

Ecobuild is at London’s ExCeL on Tuesday 20 – Thursday 22 March 2012. This is over in Canary Wharl to the east of LOndon, and is quite an interesting place, makes a change for Earl’s Court. Grand Designs is in ExCel, it is a very good venue for this sort of thing (vast consumer show).

Ecobuild show Excel London 2012 big crowds

So what’s on?

• more than 1,500 exhibitors – more! bigger! sustainable construction systems and products
• conference – with Sir John Beddington, Angela Brady, Greg Dyke, Monty Don, Stephen Bayley and others
• over 130 free seminars – these are promos by companies so be prepared, select with care
• many interactive displays which are fun – including Solar hub, Fabric first, Renewable heat and Natural, traditional and sustainable

Important
Before you go, make a list of what you want to do and see, or you will get swamped by the diversity and volume of things there.

To get a free ticket, register at:

Ecobuild 2012 at London ExCel tickets >

Where and When is it?

Tuesday 20 March 2012 10.00 – 17.00
Wednesday 21 March 10.00 – 18.00
Thursday 22 March 10.00 – 16.00

ExCeL London
One Western Gateway
Royal Victoria Dock
London
E16 1XL

See also our Building DIY pages on Green Building advice >

and

Building DIY pages on Solar power, solar thermal advice >

Tacita Dean FILM Tate Modern London SE1

The Turbine Hall is the cavernous space where the workings of the power station – the turbines – did there stuff. Now is it given over to art installations, which provide a good focus for visitors, somewhere for the kids to run about, and the chance for artists to make a large scale work.

The current installation is called FILM by Tacita Dean and is yes it is a film piece.

Kids running about at Turbine Hall, Tacita Dean FILM Tate Modern London SE1

Tacita Dean is an English artist (b. 1965) who works in a variety of media, including film. She likes to physically manipulate the film, and the large scale film she has created was made in the camera – which is an old technique to make experimental films, not using any modern digital post-production. Basically the film is shot in the camera (no editing or splicing afterwards, one take, then the actual celluloid is coloured, layered (montage). This might involve film printing in special machines but this is not mentioned in the notes. She has not used any scratch techniques – by which I mean actual scratching of the film surface to make lines etc – the effects are mainly overlay of images, dual or triple compositions, and a lot of colour blocks.

Tacita Dean FILM Tate Modern London SE1

There are Dada and Surreal references, which is appropriate for this ‘retro’ film style, since hardly anyone does this kind of thing any more, it is all digital for YouTube.

Tacita Dean FILM Tate Modern London SE1

This installation is part of the Unilever Series and is at Tate Modern until 11 March 2012, so plenty of time to see it. The file called ‘FILM’ is 35mm color and black and white, portrait format anamorphic, mute (no sound), looped, 11 minutes long. That’s a funny title – is Tacita Dean possessing all of FILM in this piece? Perhaps the Stan Brakhage bit. (He was an American non-narrative film maker in case you wondered – big in the 70s and 80s).

Tacita Dean FILM Tate Modern London SE1

What is the connection to Building and DIY? I (the editor) used to hang out at the London Film-Makers’ Co-op in the 1980s, they had all sorts of this equipment for real film processing. Then the LFMC got moved from the large, messy, friendly (and sometimes noisy) premises over a Chinese laundry in Camden, to special new premises in Shoreditch, and it all went horribly wrong.

Tacita Dean FILM Tate Modern London SE1

Also Tacita Dean is using images of the power station in the film, as the backdrop for the manipulations and effects. The use of physical film is ‘retro’ as is the mundane practical old building, now converted to a modern art gallery for the leisured middle classes and hordes of students, and kids.

Here are some images from the piece, called ‘Film’. It is created sideways (90 degree rotation) so it is in portrait mode, and is huge, shown in a dark cinematic space.

Tacita Dean FILM Tate Modern London SE1

Tacita Dean FILM Tate Modern London SE1

Tacita Dean FILM Tate Modern London SE1

Tacita Dean FILM Tate Modern London SE1

Tacita Dean FILM Tate Modern SE1

See our pages on PHOTOGRAPHING ARCHITECTURE & BUILDINGS >

And although not film – DIGITAL CAMERAS – COMPACT & DSLR >

Hans Hause prefab modular building

There are new Hans Hause going up in Fife, Scotland and Guernsey in the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. Plus many others. Note none of these is in a large city. Excellent houses though.

There is also a new Hanse Haus DVD. This is a educational journey, and although aimed at the customer (obviously) it is also useful for students finding out about sustainable development and housing, modular buildings, prefab building, and that sort of area.

The DVD goes through these stages:

• fact-finding visit to their German offices and factory
• tour state-of-the-art factory
• see each home being constructed using advanced manufacturing technology
• see the house being assembled
• finally constructed on site in the UK

There is also a new image gallery of housing projects in the UK website.

They have also added a rolling news feature but this is a bit of overkill for a housing company – a blog is fine.

There are also customer stories about their builds. Very good stuff to learn about the process and get an inside view before you take the plunge.

Hans Hause buildings use passive heating (from people’s bodies, pets, lighting etc) and use very low amounts of grid energy to heat. Add a solar panel or two and you could be zero rated.

Have a look at Hans Hause new UK website >

And see our pages on DIY Building and Green building >

Also DIY recycled building materials >

Also have a look at Property development grants and finance >

Try Garden buildings and garden rooms and offices > as this is a related activity.

Ecobuild 2011

Attraction in the lecture series are:

• Human rights campaigner – Bianca Jagger
• Professor Brian Cox
• Tim Smit of the Eden Project
• Baroness Susan Greenfield
• Many others

Taking a look at the built environment from a different perspective, Ecobuild’s lectures are inspiring, provocative and entertaining and consider

• The age of unreason: the psychology of climate change
• Socially Big
• the role of social enterprise in the regeneration of civil society
• Can science save us?
• Many others

And there is even more:

• Very large exhibition – over 1,300 exhibitors – with many experts to answer practical questions
• Beyond Construction and Design
• Architecture and sustainability
• More than 130 free seminars
• Special attractions:
• Cool workspace
• NaturalZED
• Solar hub
• Many others

For Ecobuild tickets click here >

Perhaps it will expand over the years with more examples.

It claims to tell you which actual products were used, and which architects chose them. So it is basically advertorial, as certain manufacturers are in many of the buildings, so it is not really any use generally!

It looks nice though and is easy to navigate, like a product brochure you might accidentally find at the dentist.

WhoWithWhat com is supposed to be for researching latest products, used in trendy (ie, heard of by magazine readers) projects.

For example the extension shown in London N8 is stupidly expensive (ie, encourages you to spend more, fat chance) at .25 million UK pounds – and looks pretty hideous too, like a metal hoarding has crash-landed on the house. Whatever happened to green building (yes we know metal is recyclable).

How we suffer for your art… even the blurb says it is a “monumental feature”…

Ugly London N8 extension that cost too much >

Our own non-commercialised materials pages are worth a look before you run off and buy the most expensive ‘monumental’ thing for your neighbours to stare at… which is the name of the game for these ‘iconic’ jobs.

Building materials >

Extensions, basements, lofts >

Visite las páginas en Español de la construcción, bricolaje, jardines

Have a look at the Spanish pages now >

Consejos Auto Construcción, hágalo usted mismo, construcción de casas auto construcción, consejos para la casas, jardines y jardinería, información ambiente, más regulaciones, aseguramiento, hipotecas, cámaras, juguetes y más.

Visite las páginas en Español de la construcción, bricolaje, jardines >

Uso de metales en construcciones – cobre, plomo, aluminio, estano, latón, hierro, oro, plata, titanio >

Consejos de hipoteca – comercial y residencial – y consejos de aseguramiento >

Barbacoa en el jardin >

Construir una barbacoa >

Toldos de jardín y doseles – guías útiles >

Desvanes y Áticos – ¿Cuál es la diferencia? >

Túneles solares – también llamados conductos o tuberías solares, de luz, tragaluz o claraboyas >

Calefaccion por suelo radiante agua caliente y sistemas de calefaccion central >

Metal gates - for Bill Gates?

Not sure what the neighbors might think – but perhaps they also have them – keeping up with the Joneses and all that.

These would be electric metal gates, operated by remote control, this is standard in Asia, and US but less so in UK. If in Asia, if in the fairly big middle class and above bracket, you might have a large house, and since everyone has to drive everywhere, due to the heat, distances and lack of pavements or sidewalks, remote control electric gates are very useful – and safer as you don’t have to get out of the car, and be vulnerable to attack, kidnapping or mugging.

See our pages on:

Building insurance >

Garages – kits, plans, design >

Driveways >

Building with metal >

Building with steel >

David Snell DIY building expert

David Snell is a Contributing Editor to Home Building & Renovating Magazine, and he and some other experts are giving some talks at the National Self Build and Renovation Centre off the M4 in west Swindon.

So if you are worried your new extension might fall foul of some local Inspector, you’d better get over there. Very easy to get to, it is just off Junction 16 (I think) at west Swindon; just head towards Swindon from the motorway and look out for it on the left about 50-100 yards from the motorway roundabout.

Saturday 24th, 10am to 5pm. No charge. For more details see Building and DIY regulations seminars >

Building DIY com also has a lot of information on this, see

DIY and Building finance, regulations >

and

Starting a DIY building project >

We don’t have a section for buildings only – not characters. Perhaps a short list might be:

• Blade Runner – this seems to represent everyone’s idea of the future. Has Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House in it
• Ben Hur – lots of large scale civic buildings here
• Towering Inferno – the skyscraper is the star! This film makes it to our top 10 list above
• The Pyramids – these are in lots of films
• Battersea Power Station – is in 1984
• Tate Modern power station / art gallery – Children of Men
• Skybreak House – Clockwork Orange
• Empire State Building – in Independence Day it is blown up by aliens – now that is funny!
• 2012 – this has many famous locations being destroyed. This is obviously some psychological thing

Blade Runner architecture

Visit Top 10 architects in films and movies >

See also
Part 2 of the Top 10 architects in films and movies >

Best of the Rest – next Top 20 architects in films and movies >

Home extension

Saturday 10th July, Sunday 11th July, 2010.
These are seminars so just drop in, tickets for the weekend event from:

Making More Space in your home tips >

See our DIY Building on adding space and remodeling a home >