Reclaimed Flooring, a real chance to become sustainable

 

 

Reclaimed flooring is your sustainable option

Reclaimed flooring opportunities abound and offer exciting and varied possibilities to be environmentally sensitive without having to feel guilty.

Whether resawn beam pine planking or traditional hardwood boards are your preferred choice, a little extra preparedness to seek out a good reclamation yard can yield the reward of a seriously different character floor finish…and is sustainable  in spades!

Parquet varieties

Many yards will stock parquet woodblock pine, oak or mahogany (well, tropical redwood variants!) in various sizes, which can be laid in basket weave or herringbone patterns. Alternatively, if you are very determined, you can sometimes source the more exotic Parquet de Versailles.

Nice wood if you can get it

Mainly traditional Victorian and Edwardian yellow pine or Deal  6″ and 7 “ are plentiful in imperial sizes and, when stored properly and taken up by good deconstructors, are more interesting and stable than their modern counterparts. Aged timber rarely shrinks and has better colour and grain figure than the white baltic rapid growth boards available in most builders merchants today. Sadly, limited availabilty and high demand mean that this better quality flooring often sells at a premium. As with all things, you get what you pay for and that fantastic floor finish can only be achieved by purchasing good reclaim.

Wide Oak and Elm boards are extremely difficult to source  and need to be carefully inspected and, if necessary, treated for beetle infestation. Antique  boards will last for another hundred years if prepared correctly and handled properly.

More choice from MASCo OakieDoakie

In the abscence of regular sources, MASCo OakieDoakie has returned to acquiring Ammonia smoked French Oak wide boards to compensate for the need to match traditional antique patination for important conservation and restoration work.

The secret of acquiring best value for money in the current economic climate is to consider woodstrip or parquet removed from public buildings constructed between 1930-50. This product is not as expensive as the premium hardwoods and laid to an interesting pattern and, when finished with flat hard wax, can look quite stunning without breaking the bank. Currently in stock at MASCo OakieDoakie is our beautiful Burmese Teak parquet , reclaimed from the V&A Museum following its refurbishment.

The MASCo OakieDoakie Woodstore staff will provide free advice and encouragement to assist you in your choice of sustainable floor covering.

Do visit our Cotswold Woodstore between Cirencester and Stroud, Gloucestershire, to collect free samples and to discuss your flooring requirements with our experts. Ask for James Walker or Debbie Kedge. Full fitting and finishing service is available.

You can also order online on our new website.

The state of the industry: the irony of self deception

The case for reclamation of architectural antiques and building materials has never been stronger

The ironic truth is that from a ‘golden age’ in the late twentieth century, the architectural salvage industry is failing appallingly. The easiest excuse is to blame the state of the economy and recession. Unquestionably, recession has a bearing on the falling volumes, but it is an excuse which if perpetuated long enough may become the received wisdom. But it is self-delusion and it obscures the failures of the industry to keep up or understand what is happening in the wider world. Uncomfortable but true.

As an industry we  can blame and deflect the truth further by protesting that we have not enjoyed the same incentives as the recycling industry. True, but not the reason for our plight.

Similarly, we can bluster that Government and Planning Authorities have failed to understand the real opportunities the industry could offer to solve the problems of landfill and material recovery, but we would still be deluding ourselves.

Reality Check: the reclamation trade has failed to seize opportunities

Without making this an apology that further obscures the truth and, cutting to the chase, the trade has failed on a much wider front and should confront that reality. As an industry we have, until very late in the day, failed to organise and take advantage of the opportunities.

The arrival of the recently formed Reclamation Industry Trade Association (RITA) signals a massive opportunity to turn matters around, but only if the trade addresses the failures of the past.

The industry has moved away from its principal purpose to salvage and reclaim traditional materials. We have witnessed the hard-earned creation of a market place for reclaimed materials corrupted by the merchandising of repro/replica goods that have swamped and spoiled the authentic goods the industry was intended to purvey.

Generally we have failed to skill up and invest in our businesses. Avoiding addressing the issues of governance and legitimacy, the realities of our short sightedness have caught up with us.

The successful transformation of the demolition industry

The core demolition industry from which many of us emerged has far and away outstripped all other elements of the trade in its conversion to the twenty-first century. The old demolition industry that believed it had no need to regard the working conditions of its staff and public safety has been swept away in a decade of transformation. The modern demolition trade is highly skilled, safety aware and mechanised beyond recognition. The demands of method statements, risk analyses and CDM regulations are the everyday grist and staple of demolition.

The salvage trade has preferred the shadows and, bemoaning the pressures that addressed, would have marked us out as a modern industry.

The architectural salvage industry’s ’mavericks’ have important obligations

Lord David Putnam said that paying tax was a privilege of a civilised democratic state. Similarly, the salvage industry should recognise its  ‘obligations’  as a reasonable challenge to its participation and membership of a wider community.

Whilst we all hate taxation and regulation, it is exactly those dual hated elements that differentiate our society from the arbitrary and brutal regimes that we witness on the international news daily.

We are in a modern and complex democracy: skill up and address the demands it requires. Sulk and evade and you risk total demise.

Four years ago, on BBC2’s The Reclaimers series, I affectionately described the dedicated and fascinating characters of the reclamation trade as ‘mavericks’. With hindsight, I begin to believe it sentimentalized a group of characters who struggle with orthodoxy. Not that being unconventional or different is wrong, but rather it requires a mature attitude to be part of the wider society and not to operate as an element requiring special consideration or dissociation amounting to preferential treatment.

We have to face the truth, even if it is uncomfortable

Nurses and the emergency services have to be involved with the wider demands of legislation; there can be no special case for antique and salvage dealers in a logical appraisal. The only solution to a sustainable future for our industry is to adopt business skills, capitalise to cope with the volume of opportunity that exists, and organise to be active in new legislation and policy making.

Some of the above will upset colleagues but, with many reclamation yards failing and huge quantities of imported goods swamping the market, somebody has to speak uncomfortable truths.

These are the views of MASCo Architectural Salvage, not the trade association.

The Olympic Park…Legacy or Heracy?

 

 

A worrying development for Olympic Park sustainability

As a contributing consultant to the Stratford Olympic Park  whole sustainability debate,  it came as a shock when I read on Twitter an item by Demolition News .

The article touched a nerve when it suggested a potential goldmine for the demolition industry if the experience of the Portuguese was anything to go by. Even though it may have been a piece of conjecture by a journalist trying to encourage a very depressed sector, it nevertheless highlights a nagging suspicion that the whole sustainability case made for the Olympic Park is a public relations exercise to get the project through.

Compromising East London for the Greater Good

The Games and the development process are a magnificent economic boost to London and the depressed economy in recovery. However, it was always justified by the philosophical stance that it would jump-start the East London community who have borne the brunt of the short-term disruption. The Legacy, it was claimed, would have durable and long-term benefit.

In the preparation of those sustainability studies, many compromises were agreed by those of us who wanted to make the Games genuinely sustainable. We were persuaded to be pragmatic for the greater good; in effect, to agree to many positions and outcomes that averted confrontation or obstruction…all for the greater good.

Is sustainability going to be demolished?

Jumping ahead, and having accepted compromise for other gains, it looks increasingly as though much was bullied through, the sincerity of the promised legacy has yet to be proved. The Demolition News article touches a sensitive nerve that the powerful forces of the demolition industry are circling in their cynical belief that, at the end of the day, they will have their way. If they are right, we were decieved, and will look very naïve in our sincere trust and good faith to make the Games successful.

There is no Sustainability Legacy  if we allow the dereliction of Stratford or, post games, the destruction of the architecture we hoped would bring international acclaim and sustainable prosperity to East London.

New Year greater resolution…..an end to recycling

 

TWENTY TWENTY VISION

With the new decade and the seasonal urge to contemplate new ideas, it has never been more necessary to abandon old thinking and adopt new approaches, particularly in the wake of Copenhagen.

If our politicians need any reminding, then let’s begin by persuading them of the case for abandoning recycling and ending their subsidy of crushing (recyclates) and their plans to extend investment in incineration (energy from waste recovery).

Inevitably, we will continue crushing and incinerating waste in the absence of adequate landfill capacity.

A CHANGE OF DIRECTION

Down Cycling

What needs to be understood is that these two policy options must cease to be our principal approaches to sustainability. We need to understand the political function of the concept of ‘recycling‘. The word recycling in the popular vocabulary of politicians is used to persuade the electorate that progress in matters of sustainability is being achieved, without ever understanding that they are supporting a lowest common denominator approach that changes very little (down cycling).

The public are encouraged by politicians to believe that recycling targets represent progress, never understanding or only obliquely explaining that we need to reduce our consumption, reuse existing materials, and reclaim wherever practicable.

What isn’t explained is that recycling (down cycling) almost invariably means crushing or burning materials to attain high return recycling rates  but recovering very little of the embedded carbon.

If our problems of sustainable development are to be resolved then we must recover more embedded carbon than recyclate /incineration processes enable. Consideration of other approaches will need to be adopted or we will fail miserably to make any progress beyond providing reassurances to ignorant politicians who crave only to be told everything is alright.

THE NEW RESOLUTION

The new year resolution must be to challenge the powerful lobbyists who perpetuate the myths of recycling.

Government needs to understand that it subsidises ‘recycling’ and ignores important alternatives. 

The tax incentivized crushing operations invest huge amounts of capital in advanced plant and machinery to accelerate the effectiveness of their ability to rapidly reduce buildings to rubble for processing through the crusher.

Driven by the need to justify their investments and using issues of Health and Safety to make their actions plausible, the vested interests promote their position by controlling the lobbying positions that influence Parliament.

In due course, politicians receive reports that high recycling rates are being achieved and they boast of their success to a public that is barely aware of the truth.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Our political masters would be better addressing the problem of wasted new materials, than investing more heavily in the failed down cycling policies of the last decade. 15% of all new building materials are reportedly wasted by poor site storage and over ordering.

The resolution must be to encourage up cycling and responsible purchasing whilst directing more energy to designing for end of life cycle deconstruction using recoverable high quality materials in the new build process.

Read more posts from the MASCo Sustainability blog

MASCo garden yard at Christmas

Our new signs

We’re open this holiday – do come and visit

Tuesday 29th & Wednesday 30th December

Saturday 2nd January

10am – 4pm

 

English Heritage: a story of dubious ‘goings on’?

 

 

 

The Story so far

We blogged previously that English Heritage was reportedly instrumental in persuading Government Departments to repress planning legislation which required applicants to consider disposal and treatment of materials that might be affected by demolition at the time of new applications. This behind the scenes activity was recently commented upon in our blog at the time of the recent DEFRA consultation submission to Europe (Revisions to the Waste HierarchyPP115).

It seems, that what appeared at the time as the misguided action of  English Heritage, possibly for misplaced but sincere reasons, is only part of what, increasingly, looks like a broader policy of more serious intrigue.

English Heritage is arguably compromised

English Heritage has, according to Richard Girling in his Times Online article Fireworks over fireplaces, embarked for some time in  commercial activity that seems to compromise its independence and integrity. Arguably, this conflicts with public expectation of such an auspicious champion of conservation and heritage matters.

If Richard Girling is correct, English Heritage is very confused on matters relating to accurate historical architectural detail and not a little bit hypocritical, if not potentially fraudulent, in not declaring a vested interest when proffering advice on period fireplaces and chimneypieces.

Authenticity vs Commercial Advantage…you decide

How can English Heritage remain independent and free from external influence if it is advising on architectural matters of authenticity and at the same time recommending clients install reproduction fireplaces from a company with whom it enjoys commercial advantages?

This seems a straightforward conflict of interest without even considering the carbon footprint of importing manufactured reproduction chimneypieces from Turkey, Italy and China.

In 2010 , I think we need to re -examine the role of who, in English Heritage, is responsible for these disastrous policy decisions before the public loses all confidence in these former trusted champions of Britain’s precious heritage.

Read the full article by Richard Girling in Times Online: Fireworks over fireplaces.

Obelisks! Our latest acquisition

 

 

Fine limestone obelisks from Devon

Arriving in the New Year, these impressive architectural features have been acquired by MASCo from the grounds of an important Devonshire manor house.

For more Featured Items from MASCo, click here

Environmental Leadership and the way forward

The situation is clear: we have not  convincingly addressed the climate debate

In the race to rubbish Copenhagen we should perhaps recognise that in the real world solving any problem is complex. The initial emotional reaction to the frustration is to condemn our political leaders out of hand for their narrowness, self-interest and lack of vision. It most certainly is better that the resolution of the climate summit is not perceived as a significant progression. Painful as it may be, we are clearly not deceived by a smoke and mirrors, politicians’ spun version.

Even if Copenhagen had been genuinely successful, we still could not change events for the next forty years 

Our energy policies of the last three decades dictate, even if we achieved Zero Carbon today, events would not change perceptibly for the next four decades.

What we need to avert is reaching the tipping point of climate change, nominally 3 degrees, whereupon we may experience a free fall or utterly unpredictable potential collapse of all previously modelled outcomes.

All is not lost by the Copenhagen decisions, but it may take  a natural disaster of unimaginable magnitude to refocus international opinion rather than rational debate.

It is vital that measured, scientific opinion continues to gather the growing evidence and that a scientific breakthrough, as yet not discovered, might mitigate our inability to resolve matters by reasoned behaviour change.

Copenhagen is not a failure that should be  minimised

Our inaction will  have terrible consequences. History, however, demonstrates that change will take place and the probability is that human existence will continue. For some  nation states, communities and individuals the consequences will be disastrous. It would be a very conceited person who assumed that they or their particular self-interest would not be affected adversely.

It might not affect you but it will effect tens of millions and some of those people will ask WHY did we allow this to happen?

EXCUSES

Get your excuses ready  if you must, but they won’t change what you have enabled, unless we address the problems of climate and consumption today with even more vigour and determination. No Excuses.

Knowledge Exchange Network: House Of Commons Meeting

High expectations at the Knowledge Exchange Network…but were they met?

Set in the wonderful surroundings of the terrace bar restaraunt at the Houses Of Parliament, the Knowledge Exchange Network announced its coming of age.

Given the grandeur of our surroundings and 120 delegates and representatives from all walks of industry, expectations were high.

Sadly events went down hill after  MP Barry Sheerman’s motivational opening address, stressing the need for change and the imperative to understand that our present policies and patterns of consumption  cannot be sustained.

The Chairperson of the new group Environmental Sustainability KTN, Colin Drummond, Chief Executive of Viridor, called for a policy  directive to achieve 6% Energy from Waste from the present 1.5% base.  His proposition was well delivered and drove forward yet more backing for Incineration and Recyclates.

When will the authorities wake up to Reuse and Reclamation?

No mention in any literature, posters or speeches was made at any time in the entire proceedings about Reuse and Reclamation. So much for joined up government.

Only last month we had spent a whole day in Whitehall on the other side of Parliament Square listening to a DEFRA presentation on the need to change the Waste Hierarchy to comply with future European Waste Directive proposals. Yesterday, the only stated view was to do more of what already fails; the poor, hapless politicians were  trying to do their best but had no grasp of how, in their desperation to get things going, they were  sowing the seeds of failure.

Politicians need a reuse roadmap, not a commercial dead end

The good intentions of politicians who continue to believe down-cycling will remedy anything was palpably tragic given the cynicism of the commercial vested interests who were there only to control the opportunities that might come their way from Government.

I must stress, I have no doubt that the politicians present genuinely believe they are finding postive solutions.

They have no idea what the alternatives are because they are surrounded by commercial lobbyists who are concerned to promote only self interest. You cannot burn and crush your way out of the present over-consumption of virgin raw materials.

We, the reclaimers, need to do more

Why, on such an important ocassion, was there no reference even obliquely to Reclamation in any of the speeches, literature or wall posters?

The answer can only be the failure of the reclamation trade and sustainability lobby to convince  politicians that they are directed into a policy cul-de-sac that solves nothing. The financial and organisational muscle of the orthodox down-cyclers deafens all alternative voices.

We need to remove subsidy to the demolishers and recyclate industry and redirect priorities away from incineration as a central plinth of our campaigns for  Environmental Sustainability.

There will be a case for crushing and burning, but only on the margins if we are to recover the full carbon value of scarce materials.

Like the Olympic project, with all its fine words of support for sustainability, Reclamation has been substituted for Recycling. Valuable opportunities have, in reality, been ignored in favour of Down-Cycling.

Ten out of Ten for hospitality, charm and sincerity!  Nil points for change or improvement.

More about MASCo Sustainability

MASCo launches new website for Christmas

 

 

 

MASCo’s new website

Christmas comes early for MASCo Architecural Salvage with the launch of our interactive website.

Building on our new brand identity and the rapid growth of the business, we wanted a website that would really benefit our customers. At mascosalvage.com you will find:

• Online shopping and product ordering
• Special offers and discounts exclusively for our website customers
• Featured items showcasing our latest products and items of particular interest
• Case studies of our recent salvage and customer projects
• Most popular items being bought by MASCo customers
• Latest news from the reclamation industry and MASCo’s sustainability blog
• and an outline of our Services in sourcing, design advice, restoration and conservation.

Happy Christmas and Happy browsing!