Bristol Hustings

RIBA hustings taking place in the South West region in the run-up to the 2010 general election.  These events are an opportunity to engage with candidates, and raise issues relevant to architecture and the built environment.

The Bristol event will take place on Friday 9^th April at the SS Great Britain with guests arriving from 6:00pm for a 6:30pm start.  Details below.

The Plymouth event will take place on Friday 16^th April in the University of Plymouth Roland Levinsky building.  Keep an eye out for further details in the next few days.

These events are FREE and open to all: opinion formers, RIBA members, students and the public, although places must be booked in advanced. 

If you would like to join us for these exciting events, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Attendees wishing to ask the panel a question can submit their question in advance by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or by submitting their question at the start of the event.  Those unable to attend can also submit a question to the panel at the above address.

An overview of the event will be published at www.architecture.com/hustingsSW after the event.

Right to Build from Lynton Pepper on Vimeo.

The renovated 1960's office building has won the Regen South West Green Energy Award for 'Best Housing Scheme' for 2009.

Jackson Moulding and Paul Brana-Martin received the award on behalf of the the Quoin Common Hold and Ashley Vale Action Group from David Wheeler of the Homes and Communities Agency.  Jonathan Dimbleby hosted the prestigious awards ceremony in Bath which recognised excellence across the South West in a range of categories.

The old office building which has sat empty for about 10 years is nearing completion.  The building stands in the centre of the Ashley Vale area of Bristol and is the final phase of the self build re-development of the SGB site.  The building now comprises six flats and the ground floor is a communty space and workspace.

The building has been fully wrapped up with 120mm of external insulation, all the windows have been changed from old metal single glazed to timber and alu clad double glazing, with window reductions on the north side and south side having balcony additions.

The whole building will have its hot water and heating powered by two 26KWp wood pellet boilers and 27m2 of solar thermal panels on the roof.  There is also 2.4KWp of PV panels filling up the remaining roof space.  Ecomotive has assisted in obtaining over £60,000 of funding towards the cost of the energy systems which is costing £90,000 to supply and fit.

Glastonbury not only survived a few thunder storms, but is being classed as one of the best years ever, and that's by Michael Eavis. 

So in between Lily Allen and Bruce Springsteen, loads of people visited the Ecomotive stand in the Croissant Neuf field.  We had a couple of sofas, for people to sit down and discuss through their ideas about self build, and we had a large wall-hanging self build survey which over a hundred people found the time to complete during the event.  Overall we had a great time, and it was great to speak to so many enthusiastic people wanting to build their own home.   

The Ecomotive space included information on Future Roots, Pollination, Land Logic Timber, LAMMAS and the Ecological Land Co-operative.

We want to put out a special thanks to Rupert of Land Logic Timber who provided all the Douglas Fir to create the structure.  Not only is it beautiful wood, but it is locally sourced, and was sawn up by Rupert's portable saw mill.  So if you need any timber don't forget to contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it at Land Logic Timber .   

We also would like to thank the following:

Folia for providing all the plants and flowers, and especially to Tom for bringing them to the site. 

Solarsense for providing a solar electric system to charge the power tools.

Travis Perkins for providing FSC ply sheeting and fittings.

B&Q for insulation samples and solar lighting.

Essential Wholefoods for providing snacks for the construction team. 

Ecomotive will be at Glastonbury Festival this year based in the Croissant Neuf field, situated in the Green Fields.  If you are going, please come round and see us, and tell how you are getting on with finding land, doing own your self build or meeting with others who also want to do their own project.

 We are aiming at using the space to get those interested in self building to meet others, kind of like a hub, where you can exchange ideas and advice and to work out problems.

Self building as part of a larger group.

We will also have an interactive map of the UK, which will be used for people to identify the areas they would like to self build if they would like to be part of a group project. You can then link up with the other people who have identified the same areas and create your own group.

So if you are at Glastonbury this year please come and find us.

Do you live in or around Bristol?

If you are interested in being involved in the creation of your own home.  It doesn't have to be to the level of 'Grand Designs', but purely something affordable with low yearly fuel bills, with a lighter impact on the environment. 

We are looking at methods of acquiring land in and around Bristol.  Would you be interested in being involved in a Community Land Trust, where a group of you share the ownership of the land?  Or would you prefer your own individual freehold plot?

Now is a great time to pull together and maybe try and get hold of land that the larger developers are trying to get rid of. There is still finance available for self build due to the equity increase in the value of the property at completion.   

We are assessing how much interest there is from those listening to Bristol Community Radio. If you think you may be up for self build or self finishing your home please register on this website (go to the login page at the top), and also join the discussion if you wish about the sort of home you would like to build, and the difficulties you envisage. 

MP Matthew Taylor launched the self build event which was set up by the Community Self Build Agency at the Eden Project. He has produced an in depth report on affordable housing and the rural economy. The Government has recently provided a response to his report.  You can download both below.

Saturday 18th April 2009, 10am. Cownwall   £5

 Ecomotive will be present, along with the National Self Build Association.  Please see the Community Self Build Agency website for more details.

The National Self Build Association has just launched its first report to help stimulate greater support for self build across the UK.  The report provides information on the benefits of self build and recommendations for Central and Local Governments, particular in regard to the current economic and environmental climates.  We are providing copies of the report 'free of charge' to all new memberships of NASBA.  Its only £5 per year for an individual.  Please see the www.nasba.org.uk website for more information.

If you know of relevant people in your local authority who you think NASBA should send the report, (ie Chief Executive of the Council, Councillor responsible for Housing, etc) please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and provide their contact details.

Ecomotive has joined forces with a number of key national players in the creation of NaSBA, which aims to run a series of campaigns to increase the amount of sites which Local Authorities, central Government and other landowners set aside for self builders.  This is a very exciting collaboration which could result in a real turn around in opportunities for self build in the UK.  Especially with the increasing concerns of credit crunch which seems to be taking more casualties every day, from individuals to large corporations.

Self build and self finish housing provide the opportunities for the creation of homes which are not only more affordable, but give the self builders the chance to create a place which has a low impact on the environment, cheap to heat, and designed to their own needs.

NaSBA has just completed a first report aimed at central government and local authorities, to bring all those involved in housing and land decisions up to speed with the current self build market and immediate demand for building plots. The report will also help those involved in the provision of affordable housing and those promoting sustainable living practices to recognise self build as one of the key solutions to address some of the current housing problems.

Those involved include The National Self Build and Renovation Centre, Bath and District Self Build Association, Build It Magazine, Potton/Kingspan, Architecture Verte, and of course Ecomotive.