The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in Wales is to offer visitors the chance to see modern methods of construction in action (Timber Building Spring 2007).
The Wales Institute of Sustainable Educaton (WISE) is currently being built close to the town of Machynlleth and will include a three-storey timber frame building made from glulam beams, the UK’s highest rammed earth walls and hemp-lime construction.
To supplement this, CAT is to build a viewing platform, complete with video screens showcasing the construction techniques, and offer guided tours of the £6.2m project so visitors can get a closer look at “green building methods”.
“Visitors to the centre will be able to watch hemp-lime spraying, timber frame construction and earth-ramming using pneumatic hand-held rammers,” said CAT.
“These techniques use less energy than conventional building methods and reduce the building’s energy demands.”
The tours are being held daily at 2pm until August 31, with WISE due to open in summer 2008.
