The Design Centre at Mike Wye & Associates – Showcasing Sustainable Building Products
In 2014 plans were made for a new building at our site in Devon which would showcase the best of sustainable building materials and provide us with a space to exhibit products, run training and professional development days and host events.
The building was designed by Sam Pervical at Building Conservation Services following a brief developed by Mike Wye, which included using a variety of sustainable building products sold by Mike Wye & Associates, including GEOCELL Foamed Glass, SecilVit Cork Board, Pavatex Wood Fibre and Thermafleece Sheep’s Wool insulation, and breathable SecilTek Silicate Paint for the walls along with Kreidezeit Stand Oil Paint for the woodwork.
The intention was to create a space which required minimum heating and lighting and provided a comfortable and healthy environment.
Construction of the building
Building started in December 2015 and progressed in key stages:
First, the area was cleared and levelled and trenches were dug on the perimeter of the building footprint. Concrete foundations were set to hold steel stanchions which provided fixing points for the laminated timber frame.
The timber frame, constructed from laminated timber beams, was brought to site in kit form and fixed to the steel stanchions. Battens and OSB (Oriented Strand Boards) were then fixed onto the roof beams and a waterproof membrane fitted to form the first stage of the roof.
For the roof, once the battens, OSB boards and waterproof membrane had been fitted, a vapour-permeable separation layer was put down, and sedum trays were laid on top. Around the Velux windows, pea shingle was laid down to allow for improved drainage.
The roof space underneath the OSB was insulated with Sheeps Wool insulation from Thermafleece. Below that, cork board was installed and finished with the Secil AdhereVit system – two three-millimetre layers of AdhereVit render incorporating a fibreglass mesh, finished with a 4mm layer of Secil Finishing Render.
The Glasscrete floor, was installed by first digging down into the subsoil, then laying down a layer of lightweight GEOCELL foamed recycled glass, which was barrowed into place and packed down with a whacker plate to form a levelled surface to a depth of 300mm.
A layer of Geotextile membrane was then laid, and a further 300mm layer of Geocell, providing a U value in the region of 0.1 W/(m²K) was laid and compacted. A damp proof membrane was laid down in this case – although this is not required in a breathable floor – then a lime screed comprising 2 parts screed aggregate to 1 part Secil Natural Hydraulic Lime NHL5. The floor was finished with a floating engineered wood floor.
As you enter the building, the wall on the left was infilled with straw bales. Sheathing ply was fixed over the bales, then cork board was fixed and rendered with the Secil AdhereVit system.
Externally, the straw bales were rendered directly with lightweight Secil Ecocork which contains cork particles for added insulation; this was then finished with Secil Finishing render.
The right wall of the building was also infilled with Thermafleece Sheepswool Insulation, then clad both sides with OSB board. Then Secil Cork board was fitted to both sides – interior and exterior – and rendered using the Secil AdhereVit system.
The rear wall was fitted with OSB board both inside and out to create an unventilated cavity. Internally it was then fitted with Pavatherm Combi Wood fibre insulation boards, which were again finished with the Secil AdhereVit system. Externally, Secil Cork board was fitted to the OSB board and once again finished with the Secil AdhereVit system.
Using the Design centre
Besides being a showroom for the various products we supply, the Mike Wye Design Centre is used regularly for our training courses:
It is also used for meetings, Continuing Professional Development(CPD) days and promotional events.
The Centre also has a small display area for the Building Biology Association (BBA), an organisation set up to promote building design that in turn promotes health and wellbeing for occupants and users.
We are also making the building available to local community and environmental groups, NGOs, Associations and Businesses, at little or no charge.
If you would like to make use of the building for your meeting or event, please contact us for details