Archive for the ‘materials’ Category

eco home

Sunday, June 6th, 2010

Family Home, Swansea. 3 bedrooms + detached garage & garden room [238m2 total floor area]

Floor plans [click to enlarge]

Designs are  just complete and planning application submitted for this new house. The development site has been created by subdividing a large area of unused and overgrown land from an existing residential property. The site is  South facing and inclined with lovely distant views which drove the design process towards passive solar layouts and larger openings facing South. (more…)

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Posted in Building Design, Wales, design & orientation, green, heating, plumbing & electric, materials, swansea & gower, work in progress | No Comments »

stair porn

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

I love stairs.

Most architects love stairs and dream of extravagant jobs that would fund explorations into more adventurous designs, I know I’ve go a few ideas up my sleeve given half a chance! but until then we must satisfy ourselves with tantalising pictures of other designer’s work -  stair porn!

from http://asaptucson.com

Bookshop in Porto from http://www.flickr.com/photos/stukinha

There IS a website dedicated to the pursuit of the perfect stair, that delicate balance between physics, invention, art,  aesthetics, safety, economy… and it IS called STAIR PORN. Check out some of (more…)

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Posted in art & design, buildings, materials, top tips | No Comments »

stained glass

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

beautiful window, also Palma cathedral

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pebble paving

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

simple cheap [free?] materials used inventively with care & craftsmanship, lovely how they’ve been polished by feet over the years…

pic taken at Palma cathedral a few years back

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frozen restoration

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

I’ve just taken on a farmhouse / barn restoration & conversion, visited in the FREEZING weather today to check progress [-7 degC according to the van thermometer!]. I lost all feeling in my fingers at one stage so got the camera out instead…

typical stone wall – two ‘skins’ of dressed stone with a loose fill middle of rubble & whatever else was to hand [like many modern 'cavity' walls too!]

(more…)

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about time…

Monday, January 4th, 2010

Taking the plunge… playing with the software… first posts SOON…

after a couple of years of web holding pages this is finally it, live website V.1.  The layout will probably morph a little as I learn the ropes…stay tuned!

Posted in Building Design, Business, Clippings, Energy Saving Refurbishment, NASA Work Portfolio, Uncategorized, Wales, about Neil & NASA, art & design, buildings, built work, costs, design & orientation, employing an architect / builder, green, heating, plumbing & electric, landscape, materials, swansea & gower, top tips, work in progress | No Comments »