8 April 2011

Works Starts on Wolves Lane Horticultural Centre Masterplan

(Image by Junko Suetake, ATA)

ATA have started work on a visionary masterplan for Wolves Lane Horticultural Centre in Haringey. The Centre provides the community with a great resource that includes a Plant Nursery and Garden Centre open to the public and for wholesale plant sales, educational visits from local schools, and a great cafe with the strongest homemade ginger beer i've ever tasted. There is also the gem of a Palm House which is well worth a visit

The centre provides a valuable training opportunities in catering and horticulture for people with disabilities, as well as volunteer opportunities for the wider local community.
An exciting project for ATA to get their teeth into!

2 April 2011

Low Carbon Tricks for Old Bricks

"Traditional buildings: adapting for a low carbon future" was a very well attended conference with a great programme of speakers explored this issuing surrounding traditional buildings and techniques and desicussion around how you provide significant reductions in energy use, whilst remaining sympathetic to the character and fabric of our historic buildings.
Actual monitored U-Values of existing stone walls, limecrete floor construction, ventilation to existing buildings, and the possibility for renewables were all on the agenda.

Jennie of ATA spoke on behalf of the Passivhaus Trust, and as a Certified Passivhaus Designer and her experience of applying the Passivhaus Enerphit standards to our existing UK housing stock using natural insulation materials and breathing wall construction. To view Jennie's presentation, click here.

The joint conference was held by Cumbria Action for Sustainability, The North of England Civic Trust and the Churches Trust for Cumbria.