October 2016 - Wallbarn

October 19th, 2016February 24th, 2020

Green Roofs are Gaining Ground

A recent report in the Architects Journal shone a spotlight on the gathering of a number of green roof experts in Istanbul to share best practices.

Leading the Way

The International Green Roof Association (IGRA) recently organised a congress in Istanbul with the objective of promoting good practice and technical expertise whilst benchmarking excellence in green roof design. Attended by over 400 people, the April event attracted experts in landscape, engineering and architecture, all focused on examining where the science of green roof provision is now and could be in the years ahead. Cities like Basel and Stuttgart lead the way on green roofs through a careful combination of mandatory requirements and subsidies.

Regulation & Policy

The most important factor is regulation and policy. It’s all well and good for UK urban ecologist Dusty Gedge to speculate that ‘there’s 24 times the size of Richmond Park in flat roofs in London, which could be green tomorrow’; but how does one achieve that degree of change? The answer is very slowly. Cities like London and Manchester have ‘soft policy’ approaches to green roofs and walls, promoting green space and green infrastructure, but fall short of regulation.

Differing Experiences

The experience is rather different in other cities, as a study by the University of Utrecht revealed. It surveyed five cities to see how green roofs could help to ‘climate-proof’ a place and how public and private institutions could cooperate in their provision. London is as above; Chicago has a mix of mandatory regulation and grants; Rotterdam a subsidy and communication campaign; whilst in Basel and Stuttgart, a well-organised system of mandatory requirements, subsidies and rebates are monitored, evaluated and linked to further subsidies. In all the cities, public sector involvement was a primary motivator in the early stages of development but tailed off as the market took precedence.

For more on this story, please visit the Architects Journal website by clicking here.

Thank you to Peter Sheard for is insight in this report.

Green Roofing Systems

To find out more about green roofing systems and how we may be able to help install one onto your property, please check out the dedicated section of our website by clicking on the following link – https://www.wallbarn.com/green-roof-new/

October 18th, 2016February 24th, 2020

Duro Excellence Composite Boards

With the news reaching us that one of our competitors have recently made the following announcement “Due to an unexpected issue with the supply of pigment used to create our unique Carbonised board colourings, we have suspended production of the Carbonised Range. This affects the Embered and Charred range of products, including edging and fascia.”, we believe now is a great time to focus on the benefits of the DURO Excellence range available from the iDecking Revolution and distributed exclusively within the UK by Wallbarn.

Rice Based Composite

Our rice-based composite has stable pigments and colours throughout the whole board and we have stocks of 4 colours (denim, moor oak, terra and teak) in stock so can supply within a couple of days to sites.

This composite does not absorb water or turn green like WPC sometimes does. It is durable and a low risk for slipperiness. Our decking boards have a grain effect through the whole board produced during the extrusion process, not via screen printing, so it will not fade or scrape off. Duro Excellence is a premium composite decking material quite unlike any other composite material on the market.

Introducing the DURO Excellence

The DURO Excellence line brings our signature composite material to the next level. It provides the most natural-looking and durable coloured decking boards available. The Virgin PVC and Rice Husk compound is coloured before extrusion, this helps to guarantee colour uniformity and grain consistency all the way through each board. This makes the decking boards colour much more resistant in case of scratches and fading if compared to stained ones.

DURO Excellence is available in seven colours.

Six of them are finished with a wood grain effect making each board look unique! As it is for regular DURO, DURO Excellence is an Eco-Friendly and Natural feeling material. DURO Excellence even maintains the awesome effect of real wood grain and patina with time. DURO Excellence is available for both EasyClick and Easy Change iDecking installation systems.

Which are the highlights of DURO Excellence material?

Coloured before extrusion
Woodgrain effect on six colours
Eco-Friendly – 100% Recyclable
Low maintenance
Extremely stable and durable
No splinters, barefoot walking is welcome!
Weatherproof & Waterproof
Insect and termite-proof
B1 Class fire resistant
Available for both EasyClick and EasyChange installation system

October 15th, 2016February 24th, 2020

A Look At Eco Green Roofs And Their Benefits

Modern architecture has gone green. Many if not all, of the architectural designs being drawn in this modern error, have considerations of energy efficiency and reduced emissions of greenhouse gasses. Different elements have been used to produce the effect of energy efficiency in an effort to make our cities and by extension the whole world green and a better place to live in.

There are many architectural elements and designs used today. In this regard, eco-green roofs have been one of the most popular architectural design elements that are being employed in many parts of the world to make our living quotas attain better living standards.

Though eco green roofs have been in existence for a long time, their use in modern architecture has experienced a surge of interest and installation. They are popular in both commercial and residential properties as their instalment is not necessarily dependant on the size of the building.

Types Of Eco Green Roofs

There are three designs that are in popular use currently. This includes intensive, semi-intensive and extensive green roofs. The intensive types of roof are green roofs that can handle a higher amount of plant weight (usually 100 to 750 kilograms per square meter). These roofs can support plants with deep and intrusive roots such as herbs

On the other hand, extensive green roofs are designed to handle a plant weight of between 50 to 120 kilograms per square meter. The plants are also designed to be self-sustaining with little input over time.

More modern designs which incorporate the advantages of the extensive and intensive designs have been developed. This design is known as the comprehensive green roofs.

Advantages Of Having Green Roofs

The Installation of installing green roofs outweigh the cost of installing the roofs. Potential benefits include;

The living conditions are improved significantly due to the better aeration around the property. Plants on the green roof release fresh air that improves the air quality around the property.

Green roofs also add reduce solar isolation penetrating into the house. This improves the overall living conditions by stabilizing ambient temperature.

These types of roofs are known to reduce the amount of energy consumed in order to cool houses. In so doing, the amount of green gas houses emitted is drastically reduced. The plants on the roofs also draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, further enhancing efforts to mitigate global emissions.

Green roofs have also been found to help in the management stormwater by absorbing some of the water.

For more on our range of green roofing options, please visit the dedicated section on our website by clicking here and check out the video below:

October 12th, 2016February 17th, 2022

Keep Your Deck Eco-Friendly with The iDecking Timber Decking System

With a definitive shift towards introducing environmentally friendly timber decking systems to the UK market, we are delighted to announce the addition of the iDecking Revolution to the wide range of choices available from Wallbarn highlighted by DURO.

DURO is the name of the brand new “green” material developed by iDeck to integrate its decking and wall cladding systems in total respect for Mother Nature.

Developed by iDecking Revolution

Developed by iDecking Revolution, DURO is a brand new material which can be installed both on the EasyClick and EasyChange systems. Boards are available both with flat or anti-slip grooved surfaces.

Even though its formula is kept as a secret, DURO’s main ingredient is Rice Husk; a by-product in the processing of rice. This husk, when blended together with virgin polymers, makes this an incredibly versatile, strong and durable material.

Looking and feeling completely natural, DURO can be stained or treated for an extra level of protection using any colour available from iDecking. DURO is 100% recyclable, the Eco-Friendly composite material Mother Nature herself would have created.

Other important benefits of DURO?

Eco-Friendly – 100% Recyclable
Low maintenance
Extremely stable and durable
Can be treated and/or stained as you like
No splinters, barefoot walking is welcome!
Weatherproof & Waterproof
UV ray resistant
Insect and termite proof
B1 Class fire resistant

DURO is not the only addition to the iDecking arsenal, there are also 3 other high-quality materials which are helping to revolutionise the UK decking market.

For more details, please click on the links below:

Please Note – Wallbarn has FSC certification, so we are confident that even when providing tropical hardwoods, we are working to the highest standards of sustainability

October 7th, 2016February 24th, 2020

What Are The Benefits of Installing a Modular Green Roof?

With the introduction of the new and improved M-TRAY® at Ecobuild 2016, we believe that now is a great time to highlight some of the most important benefits offered by the installation of a quality modular green roofing system onto a property.

Below we have identified 3 of the primary benefits available:

Benefit No. 1 – Environmental Impact

These roofs have a positive impact on the environment in that; they help reduce carbon dioxide concentration as grass and other vegetation aid in air purification. The air around most urban centres is most toxic because very few trees or grass are present. However, having some vegetation on every apartment’s rooftop can help deal with the toxic air.

Another key benefit of using a green roof is that it helps conserve heat by reducing heat loss during winter and reducing heat absorption into the house during hot weather and summer. These roofs have also shown the ability to reduce stormwater runoff. Stormwater is often destructive as it carries away anything in its way, as well as damage waterways. These roofs, however, retain water reducing its speed and impact on these waterways.

Benefit No. 2 – Enhanced Durability

Green roofs last many times longer than roofing shingles exposed to UV rays. The grass and soil covering the waterproofing membrane protect the roof from harmful UV rays that cause faster degradation especially on conventional roofs. If installed correctly, these roofs can last two times longer than the most durable roofing materials in the market today. Little to no maintenance is required for these roofs thus making them cost-effective and value for your money.

Please Note – With new advances in green roofing technology, the plants are farther more likely to survive and not die back as they are more mature and established

Benefit No. 3 – Noise and Heat Reduction

Conventional roofs generate more heat especially when the house or a substance is on fire as compared to green roofs. The reason is that a living roof can withstand intense heat thus making it possible to contain house fires. In addition to this, some studies have shown that the installation of a green roofing system can reduce sound from the outside by as much as a whopping 40 decibels. This makes your home or the office quieter especially in noisy neighbourhoods and near airports.

Living roofs are considered the best type of roofs you might want in your home. Consider having one installed to enjoy these and many other green roof benefits.

For more information regarding the M-TRAY® modular green roofing system, please click here.

For more about the new, improved design for the M-TRAY® modular green roof system for 2016 please check out the video below:

October 3rd, 2016February 21st, 2020

Do Green Roofs Offer Acoustic Assistance?

Zaloa Azkorra, an agricultural engineer of the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country, is currently conducting some fascinating in-depth research at the University School of Mining and Public Works Engineering into the benefits provided by green walls.

The researcher has concluded that walls comprising plants offer great potential for absorbing noise and could be used as acoustic insulation.

Temperature & Acoustic Benefits

The researcher is proposing that green walls be used in buildings, inside and outside, as they can improve the temperature and, what is more, they can achieve acoustic improvements. What is more, “they are attractive and cool,” said Azkorra. But she also admitted at the same time that having such systems is costly and that, what is more, the systems need to be improved. As Azkorra pointed out, “apart from having plants on the walls, they have to be maintained and that is quite expensive”. So right now she sees no alternative but to fit them in special buildings.

Now that the plant modules have been cultivated, she has begun to carry out thermal studies on them to study what benefits they can bring from the temperature perspective.

For more on this story, please visit – https://phys.org/news/2015-01-green-walls-effective-acoustic-insulation.html

Green Roofing Benefits

The huge range of benefits offered by green roofing systems is something that the team at Wallbarn whole-heartedly endorse.

To view many of the benefits available, please take a moment to visit the dedicated ‘green roofing’ section on our website by clicking on the following link – https://www.wallbarn.com/green-roof-new/

Order / Enquire Now

Month: October 2016