Twilight Talks

The Green Register's early evening talks supported by Ecomerchant: together promoting ethical, healthy sustainable building materials

The Green Register has proudly launched a new series of events. On the second Monday of each month, we’ll be running Twilight Talks - a relaxed and informal string of events on sustainable building matters to complement our regular training topics. Each one-hour event will be FREE of charge and feature short talks from one or more speakers. With Q&A and discussion sessions throughout, everyone is invited to be part of the conversation. We’ll be holding Twilight talks at 5-6pm, in the sweet spot between work and dinner – so join us to nourish the mind before replenishing the body!

Clay Blocks: speedy building with low-carbon materials.  An architect and builder perspective on using hollow clay brick construction

As architects, designers or builders who work in the area of sustainable construction we are always looking for the “right” product for the projects we are working on.
Timber is often seen as the go to material due to its many green credentials. However, there are other materials available and one of those is fired clay block.

Whether using Ziegelblock, Thermaplan, Porotherm or other types of clay block, this type of material and way of building is often overlooked.

But yet there are many advantages including speed of erection, using a single skin of masonry (avoiding the complicants of cavity wall construction) and very good insulation values.

Join us for this Twilight Talk to hear from Green Register members Jenny Harborne of IMAGO Architects and Dan Wakefield of Greenacre Building as they give an insight into their experience of using clay block.

Dan and Jenny will use case studies to illustrate the benefits (and potential challenges) with using fired clay blocks.

Dan’s project is his own passivhaus house and Jenny will draw from several projects where she has used the clay blocks.

Issues covered will include:

• Identifying the right tools to cut the blocks
• Designing to the block dimensions
• Appropriate finishes including lime render
• Achieving airtightness
• Adapting the programme to accommodate drying times

Agenda

• 5-5.50pm: Presentations
• 5.50-6.15pm: Q&A, Discussion, Networking

Twilight Talks are supported by Ecomerchant.