LIVING CHANGE...
Well, that seems like a lofty enough goal. But Steve likes a challenge. As he points out, despite its obvious environmental advantages as well as a multitude of personal health benefits, this type of alternative construction is not yet widely accepted in BC as a solution to ecological damage caused by conventional living and building practices. Steve thinks there are a number of reasons for this, including the widely held belief that alternative building is too expensive, that “alternative” is often associated with funky off-the-grid shacks of questionable quality and mostly, because limited knowledge of non-traditional materials and techniques has contributed to restrictive building codes that make it difficult to demonstrate otherwise: An environmentally friendly, “alternative” building can be beautiful, comfortable, safe, and economical as well as low-impact, energy-efficient, and nontoxic.
Steve hopes to change the perception of both the public and inspectors by constructing his light-filled, 1000 sq ft “living building” model (image on right) to meet or exceed all standard Saanich building codes. A few of the techniques he is incorporating include: A rammed earth foundation - an ancient technique of forming thick structural walls from compressed earth, sand, and clay (harvested from his own land) using natural lime as a stabilizer; “net-zero” energy technologies - on-site renewable energy systems enabling the building to produce as much as or more than the power and energy it consumes; as well as a green roof – a roof covered with living vegetation, providing the benefits of natural insulation and cooling, storm water retention, sound absorption, cleaner air, wildlife habitat, and aesthetic enjoyment (to name a few....) Despite incorporating a multitude of progressive design and engineering solutions, Steve is promises the workshop will cost the same or even less than a conventional structure of the same size; an example of how thinking global but sourcing local (materials, energy, labour) can work for everyone’s benefit - reducing transportation and energy consumption, lowering costs, and strengthening the local community. He hopes that by showcasing leadership in sustainable building practices, standard methods and inflexible building codes will begin to change.
LIVING SOLUTIONS...
But that’s just the beginning. Steve realizes that in order for these changes to become well-established and make a real difference, more people are going to have to jump on the sustainable building bandwagon– and he intends to help them. In a parallel project, Steve is a core member of the “Alternate Solutions Resource Initiative” (ASRI), a group he helped found with other local alternative building activists. Working closely with a team of researchers and engineers, they have begun to develop a guideline that provides standardized instruction, specifically for this region, to people wanting to work with materials and techniques outside the building code. In terms of his long-term vision, Steve sees this much needed resource as complimentary to, but perhaps even more important than his building project. Ultimately, a truly sustainable society requires systemic changes that can only come from community involvement and perseverance. This is Steve’s greatest hope – that as others learn more and join him in building sustainably, they do so with the next generation in mind – working within the system to create a future where living and building sustainably is not the alternative, but the ordinary, everyday norm.
For more details about Steve's building plans, if you are interested in finding out more about Steve or the Alternate Solutions Resource Initiative, or if you would like to follow the progress of Steve's sustainable building project, check out his website at:
http://www.naturalbuildingsite.net/
