Low Impact Building: Housing using Renewable Materials, First Edition. Tom Woolley. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Published 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Acrylic Acrylic paints are commonly used in mainstream building construc-tion. They are based on synthetic petrochemical polymer materials but can be diluted with water and are regarded as less harmful than paints made with solvents. However, they still contain a range of chemicals including fungicides. They are often referred to as breathable but the manufacturers of breathable natural paints dispute this.

AECB The UK Sustainable Building Association, was previously known as the Association for Environmentally Conscious Building. www.aecb.net

ARC-PEACE Architects, designers and planners committed to building in a socially responsible way a peaceful, just and an environmentally sustainable future. http://arcpeace.org/web/

ASA Advertising Standards Authority. www.asa.org.ukASBP Alliance for Sustainable Building Products. www.asbp.org.uk

Baumit A proprietary lime based render which includes some cement and sand and additives, sometimes applied with an adhesive

BBA British Board of Agrement www.bbacerts.co.uk/Bio-based Materials from construction that are derived from natural plant

based material such as wood fibre or hempBioregional Environmental NGO in the UK. www.bioregional.com. Also is

used as a generic term for ecological activitiesBIS UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills www.bis.gov.uk/BRE UK Building Research Establishment www.bre.co.uk/Breathe Natural insulation quilt made from hemp and flax by Hemp

Technology LtdBREEAM Building assessment method developed by the BRE www.

breeam.org/Brundtland The most commonly quoted definition of sustainable deve-

lopment

Carbon sequestration The storage or locking up of carbon dioxide in a material or storage facility to reduce CO2 emissions

Carbon spike Rapid emissions of CO2 due to human activity. A term used to explain major emissions of CO2 at the start of an activity rather than over the life of a project

Carnego UK consultancy company involved in monitoring energy use www.carnegosystems.com

CAT Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales www.cat.org.uk/

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CDS Co-operative Development Services www.cds.coopCHP Combined heat and powerCIAC Community in a cube, housing project in Middlesbrough, UKCIBSE Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers www.

cibse.org/CIRIA Construction Industry Research and Information Association www.

ciria.org/CLT Cross laminated timber, solid timber panels made with strips of wood

glued togetherCohousing A form of collectively owned housing with shared facilities

www.cohousing.org.uk/CSH Code for Sustainable Homes, A UK system of awarding points for

environmental and energy performance for housingCPD Continuing professional development.CPD-EU The European Union Construction Products DirectiveCZERO Private development company based in Birmingham called Linford

CZERO Ltd. www.czero.com

DECC UK Government Department of Energy and Climate Change www.decc.gov.uk/

DEFRA UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs www.defra.gov.uk/

DSD Northern Ireland Department for Social Development www.dsdni.gov.uk/

Embodied energy A measure of the energy (and CO2 emissions) used to manufacture and deliver a material or product, sometimes referred to as embedded energy which is a misleading term as the energy has been consumed, and is not embedded in the product

Emission Zero A consultancy in Birmingham, which was awarded a contract to monitor the RHP www.emission-zero.com/index.htm

EPA Ireland Environmental Protection Agency Ireland www.epa.ieEPD Environmental Product DeclarationEST UK Energy Saving Trust www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/EURIMA European Insulation Manufacturers Association www.eurima.org/

FIEC European Construction Industry Federation. www.fiec.orgFootprinting A wide range of organisations provide methods for measur-

ing carbon used by an individual or organisationFormaldehyde Chemical found in a wide range of products and adhesives,

classified as a carcinogen (cancer causing) and irritant. It is associated with allergies and dermatitis. It was used as a biocide and for embalming, but is banned for these in Europe. In the EU, the maximum allowed con-centration of formaldehyde in finished products is 0.2%, and any product that exceeds 0.05% has to include a warning that the product contains formaldehyde, though this rarely seems to be the case in construction materials and products.

FSC Forest Stewardship Council www.fsc-uk.org/

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GHA Good Homes Alliance www.goodhomes.org.uk/Glu-lam A method for gluing together strips of timber to create very

strong structural beams and columnsGreen Deal A much-criticised measure introduced by the Conservative

Liberal Coalition Government in the UK (DECC) to encourage retrofitting of existing property, to be funded by various private organisations though some local authorities are attempting to set up alternative green deal measures www.greendealinitiative.co.uk/

Green Guide to Specification A much-criticised system for awarding ‘environmental classifications’ to most building products and materials www.bre.co.uk/greenguide

HAB OAKUS A private development company established by Kevin McCloud working with the GreenSquare group www.haboakus.co.uk

HAB Shimmy An in-home computer system developed for the Hab Oakus Triangle development in Swindon

HCA UK Homes and Communities Agency www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/

Hempcrete A method of constructing insulating walls with the name Hemcrete registered by Lime Technology; generic names not registered are hempcrete and hemp-lime

Hemp The plant Cannabis sativa, being the drug-free version of cannabis or marijuana; there are other versions and many hundreds of varieties

Hemp fibre The hemp plant produces very tough fibre which can be stripped off the stalk

Hemp shiv or hurd The chopped up straw of the plant once the fibre has been stripped off

Heraklith Trade name for a wood wool slab, which used to be described as made with magnesium silicate but, since being taken over by Knauf, only a mineral binder is referred to www.heraklith.com/

Hygroscopicity The science of how a material deals with moisture

IAQ indoor air quality, a measure of the levels of pollutants inside buildingsIBPSA The International Building Performance Simulation AssociationICE Inventory of Carbon and Energy compiled by Bath University www.

bath.ac.uk/mech-eng/research/sertIES Integrated Environmental Solutions computer performance modelling

www.iesve.com/ISO International Standards Organisation www.iso.org/Iso-cyanate iso-cynates are mixed with polyols to make polyurethane insu-

lation. Methyl isocyanate was the toxic chemical that killed thousands in the Bhopal disaster. Serious respiratory problems have occurred in fire-men exposed to polyurethane and isocyanates spillages and fires

JRHT Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust

Knauf Knauf Insulation Ltd (St Helens, UK) but in 75 countries, a German company, said to be family-owned in Bavaria. Manufacturer of mineral,

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glass fibre, polyfoam insulations, plasterboard and owner of Heraklith wood wool

LABC Local Authority Building Control www.labc.uk.com/LCA life cycle analysis, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is the assessment of

the environmental impact of a given product throughout its lifespanLCBP Low Carbon Building Programme, a UK Government acronym for

constructing low impact buildings which disappeared as soon as it appeared and is now used for grant funding of renewable energy instal-lations www.bre.co.uk/page.jsp?id=1332

LCIF Low Carbon Innovation Fund: Another UK Government acronym that disappeared as a general fund but a new version now exists: https://www.lowcarbonfund.co.uk/LCIF/

LEED US Green Building Council rating system for slightly greener build-ings www.usgbc.org

LHOIST A multinational lime products company that owns the ‘Tradical’ brand of hemp-lime materials www.lhoist.co.uk/Frame_Home.htm

LID Low Impact Development policy: initially introduced in Pembrokeshire, this is now adopted throughout Wales as the One Planet Development policy (Technical Advice Note 6), best accessed through www.lammas.org.uk/lowimpact/index.htm

LILAC Low Impact Living Affordable Community (Leeds) www.lilac.coopLMU Leeds Metropolitan University

Magnesite Magnesium carbonate, used as a binder in board and other building materials, similar to calcium carbonate but not as widely occurring

Magnesium silicate Claimed to be a low carbon alterative to cement, it is used in composite boards and has a high resistance to moisture

Manmade Materials used in building construction that are derived from synthetic rather than materials, or where chemical and manufacturing processes remove any natural characteristics

MHOS Mutual Home Ownership Society, one of a number of models of collective or cooperative home ownership where house occupants may have a share in the equity of the property www.cds.coop

MIMA Mineralwool Insulation Manufacturers Association, previously known as EURISOL www.mima.info

MMC Modern Methods of Construction, usually assumed to mean pre-fabricated or off-site methods, usually using synthetic manmade materials

MMMF Man made mineral fibre as used in insulationModcell A proprietary name for a form of prefabricated construction using

strawbales compressed into timber frames www.modcell.comMVHR Mechanical ventilation and heat recovery, an electrical powered

system to import fresh air which can be heated by heat extracted from stale air which is being evacuated from a building. This is normally a requirement of meeting the passiv haus standard though it is not a passive system

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Nanosil A proprietary additive used in some render systems as a form of waterproofing

Natureplus A certification standard for ecological materials widely used throughout Europe; certificates only awarded to the best specific (not generic) products, which must only have a very low petrochemical usage www.natureplus.org/

NBA National Building Agency, a UK Government agency in the 1960s and 1970s that promoted and certified ‘system’ building; there is an Irish National Building Agency which still exists

NBT Natural Building Technologies, one of the leading UK distributors of ecological and natural building products www.natural-building.co.uk

NNFCC National Non-food Crops Centre www.nnfcc.co.uk

OSB Oriented strand board, a form of wooden building board in which scraps of timber are glued together, often using phenol or urea formal-dehyde, a highly toxic and carcinogenic glue; OSB is widely used in cur-rent construction, particularly in MMC and SIPS construction; a small number of companies offer OSB with what they describe as ‘safe’ resins

Passivhaus/SPHC There are number of passiv haus organisations in the UK and internationally, most of which seem to collaborate, though there is also some competition for certification. www.passivhaus.org.uk/ (BRE) www.passivhaustrust.org.uk www.passivehouse-international.org www.sphc.co.uk

Pavatex/Diffutherm/Pavaflex Wood fibre products made in Switzerland but available from NBT in the UK www.pavatex.com/

PBDEs Poly brominated di-phenol ethers, a family of highly dangerous synthetic chemicals that have been widely used in flame retardants in furnishings, electrical products and construction materials including syn-thetic insulation materials. They are not chemically bound to the prod-ucts in which they are used so can leach out into the environment, and are regarded as high risk in the USA where they are replacing PCBs as the most prevalent organohalogen contaminant particularly in the Arctic. Concern in Europe seems lower and a wide range of alternative chemi-cals are now used in different products www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchem-icals/pubs/actionplans/pbde.html

Phenol Also known as carbolic acid, largely derived from oil, one of the basic products from which a wide range of plastics and synthetic materi-als are based; it is a dangerous neurotoxin

PIR. Polyisocynaurate (rigid) insulation, similar to PURPlanning Portal UK Government website giving access to planning and

building regulations www.planningportal.gov.ukPolyol A name for a wide range of chemicals including those used to make

polyurethane insulationProbe Post-Occupancy Review of Buildings and their Engineering www.

usablebuildings.co.uk/PUR Rigid polyurethane insulation similar to PIRPVA Polyvinyl acetates, used in a wide range of relatively safe glues

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PVC Polyvinyl chloride also known as uPVC and PVCu, one of the most controversial substances widely used in buildings and building materials, regarded as highly dangerous to the environment and health by some, issues largely discounted by the PVC industry

RAE Royal Academy of Engineering. www.raeng.org.ukRainscreen A form of cladding used on buildings, can be made from

timber boards, panels and many other materials to shed rain from wall surfaces

REACH Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical Substances, a set of European Regulations that were introduced in 2007 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/reach/reach_intro.htm

Renewable materials ‘Renewable and biodegradable materials not only consume less energy in their preparation, but also are less problematic to dispose of at the end of their useful life. Renewable materials are substances derived from a living tree, plant, animal or ecosystem which has the ability to regenerate itself. A renewable material can be pro-duced again and again. For example, when we use plantation wood to make paper we can plant more trees to replace it. Earth’s mineral resources are finite, and often energy-intensive, but timber resources can be produced indefinitely, with strong environmental benefits’. www.csiro.au/Outcomes/Materials-and-Manufacturing/Innovation/renewable- biodegradable-materials.aspx

Resistant A range of proprietary building boards that use magnesium silicate and have been used with hemp lime construction. www.resistant.co.uk/

RHP Renewable House Programme, set up by UK Government Department DECC in 2009 but no longer in existence www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/ourwork/renewable-construction

RIBA Royal Institute of British ArchitectsRICS Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors

SAP Standard Assessment Procedure, DECC’s methodology for assessing and comparing the energy and environmental performance of dwellings, its purpose is to provide accurate and reliable assessments of dwelling energy performances that are needed to underpin energy and environ-mental policy initiatives www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/emissions/sap/sap.aspx

SBEM Simplified Building Energy ModelSedum Flowering succulent plants commonly known as stonecrops, they

have water storing leaves and can grow with little soil, commonly used in ‘green roofs’

SETAC Society of Environmental Toxicology and ChemistrySGR Scientists for Global Responsibility, scientists architects, engineers,

technologists www.sgr.org.uk/Sheep’s wool Fleece sheared from sheep used in clothing, carpets and

insulation etc.Silicate See magnesium silicate

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SIPS Structural insulated panels, a form of off-site, prefabricated, usually timber (but sometimes metal) panels incorporating insulation, usually synthetic such as polyurethane which bonds to the timber

Synthetic See manmade

TEAGASC The Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority www.teagasc.ie

Thistle A form of gypsum based plaster that is commonly used in buildings.TPR Thermo poly rock, a material based on plastic waste bonded together

with resinsTradical A proprietary set of products including lime binders and hemp for

hemp lime construction, sold by Lime Technology and LHOISTTSB UK Technology Strategy Board www.innovateuk.org/Ty Unnos Welsh term meaning ‘house of one night’, experimental form of

construction using locally grown welsh timber

UKCIP UK Climate Impacts programme, hosted at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford www.ukcip.org.uk/

UKGBC UK Green Building CouncilUKTI UK Government Department for Trade and Industry www.ukti.gov.

uk/home.htmlUWHA United Welsh Housing Association

WATCH UK Working group on Action to Control Chemicals, Health and Safety Executive

WHO World Health OrganisationWUFI Building modelling and energy technique which recognises hygro-

thermal behaviour of materials, Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics www.ibp.fraunhofer.de/en/

Zero Carbon Hub UK organisation to facilitate the mainstream delivery of low and zero carbon homes www.zerocarbonhub.org/