Eco-Building Opened

The most environmentally friendly building in Torfaen was officially opened on Thursday 11th April 2006.

The Eco-building is the only building in the UK to have dome shaped straw bale roof. The entire 300,000 construction, which is on Springvale industrial estate in Cwmbran, has been built as an excellent example of sustainable building.

Straw bales have also been used to insulate the walls. Sixteen wall panels each containing 12 bales of straw were put together. Straw is an excellent insulator and will stop heat escaping. The building is also ventilated naturally using the difference in pressure between the inside and outside of the building. This creates an airflow to ventilate the building. The timber and straw were bought from a Cwmbran farm and even the workers who built it were from the local area. Rainwater running off the roof is stored and used in the toilet system. Low energy lighting means minimum maintenance and cheap running costs. Councillor Bob Wellington, Leader of Torfaen Council, said:

"We enjoy leading the way in Torfaen. Our eco-building is a great example of how new buildings can be built with the environment in mind. People visiting it can see for themselves how environmentally friendly it is. We want others to learn from us and use similar building techniques in their own projects. It will be mean low energy use which in turn will mean it will be low cost to run."

It will be used by Torfaen Council to host a range of environmental seminars, workshops and demonstrations for local businesses aimed at helping them reduce their environmental impact. The first one is being held in May and involves the Carbon Trust and energy managers from local businesses.

The 300,000 building is part of a trans-national project funded from the Interreg IIIB programme which is aimed at improving environmental management on industrial estates.