Cypren Edmunds, a housing activist and advocate for bio-based building materials, describes the challenges he has faced living in social housing in London, and the health benefits and energy efficiency that can be achieved through building with straw.
Interview with Cypren Edmunds
Cypren is the Chairperson of Strawbale Building UK and the President of the European Strawbuilding Association, and is working to increase the use of straw and other bio-based products within the construction industry.
Cypren has first-hand experience of living in UK housing that is not fit for purpose and the affect this has on family life and the wider fabric of society. He believes we need much more education within the construction industry and society at large to enable us to build healthier and more energy-efficient homes.
Activism begins with a burning desire to make a difference
Cypren describes how living with his family in a property that had damp and condensation became distressing, and drove him to become a housing activist and ultimately to change his career. He started by re-igniting the Residents Association for his housing estate, but quickly realised that collectively they didn’t really have the knowledge of the built environment, planning and housing regulations to get to the core of the problems they were all facing. Cypren, a qualified carpenter, was working in fitness training at the time, but decided to change direction and see what he could do.
Activism requires upskilling and plenty of time
Cypren knocked on doors to find out just how bad the situation was for residents. In one of the worst cases, water was dripping from the light bulb above the resident’s head and as you walked through his flat, every single wall was dripping with condensation and mould. The resident had complained to both the Housing Association and Local Authority, but nothing had happened.
A wall riddled with damp and mould
The fabric of the buildings is concrete and steel (with fan heating) with no apparent strategy for dealing with ventilation, so moisture becomes trapped. The Housing Association didn’t have any solutions, apart from leaving windows open or putting in noisy dehumidifiers, neither of which worked well for residents.
Keep communicating and stay engaged with all parties
Rather than getting aggressive the Residents Association genuinely wanted to stay positive and work with the Housing Association and the Local Authority to identify solutions. As the Housing Association had already carried out surveys of the building, they too realised how bad the situation was and that it needed addressing. However they admitted they didn’t have the money for a full retrofit, so after much consultation tenants voted for regeneration.
Cypren outlines the role of the Residents Association in explaining the wider picture to residents and wading through the multitude of facts and information provided by the authorities. Many people didn’t understand the bigger picture, only how things related to them, and this is a political problem that needs to be addressed.
“We don’t have enough skilled professionals, at all levels, in the construction sector to undertake the kind of retrofit work necessary for these types of properties.”
Council houses in North Kesteven
Low carbon bio-based materials have many benefits
Whilst straw was rejected as a material for the regeneration of Cypren’s housing estate it is being used widely across Europe in the construction of a variety of public and private buildings.
As President for the European Straw Building Association and chair the Strawbale UK, Cypren is working to get the message across politically and digging into policy and regulations to increase use of bio-based materials in construction.
A firestation in Colombey Les Belles, France
Meliana day care centre in Valencia, Spain
Countries like Lithuania and France are way ahead of the UK in recognising the value of straw and other bio-based materials. The French have entrenched this methodology into their regulations. For example policy RE 2020 is an environmental regulation that came into effect in 2022 with the goal of improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Cypren points out that we just don’t have this in the UK, and whilst groups like ACAN are doing a great job of delivering that message we need much more.
STBA and SPAB hold a joint conference
We need more education around the use of straw
Cypren is clear that in the UK we need a significant drive to enable people to understand the value of using straw and other bio-based materials within the construction industry and that this drive should come from Government. There is a lack of education within the construction industry itself and many myths around straw that make the public wary of its use.
Get input from experienced natural builders
As with any material or methodology it’s essential to understand how you work with bio-based materials and how it differs to other approaches so make sure you’re learning or engaging with experienced natural builders. The good news is that straw is not a difficult material with which to work, particularly if you’re already a plasterer or carpenter, etc. The skills necessary are just the same as you would need if you were going to build a timber framed house. And now with prefabricated straw panel systems it is even easier, with construction on site taking just a few weeks.
Highly engineered straw panels at Old Holloway
Cypren believes we need to be building more with straw panels and developing factories to produce them. This would be good for the economy and generate jobs. We’re told the construction sector is struggling, so let’s train young people to work with materials that are helping us to move forward in life. It’s up to the government to give the appropriate incentives to those large housing developers to incentivise them to build in that way. We should take inspiration from France. Cypren tells us of a conference last year, where the French were saying they’d just built over 10,000 homes with straw. He couldn’t say how many we have built in this country.
Intelligent activism could help create better homes and communities
Cypren feels that if we are not happy with the situation within our community, we need to work together to create change. For him it’s not about going on marches or rallies it’s about engaging with the authorities, commenting on consultations, and making sure your voice is heard. He believes we have a tendency in England to sit back and expect others to sort things out. Instead, he suggests we find like-minded individuals, share ideas, speak to experts to get the information needed and become active with our community.
For us to have a healthier society, we need to be thinking of everyone. There is a knock-on effect for example for young people living in poor housing, who are ashamed to take friends home, with no youth centre to go to, and so they hang around outside and potentially become involved in anti-social behaviour. If homes are comfortable and inviting people will want to be there instead.
Keep an open mind to bio-based materials
Cypren’s overriding message is to keep an open mind to bio-based materials. He says there is massive potential to scale up and that it would enhance all of our lives.
From all of the data and all of the reports Cypren has seen, people who live in straw buildings or own bio-based buildings tend to be happier and healthier.
Querbeet Housing Project in Lüneburg, Germany
Find out more
Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance
European Straw Building Association
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
Transcript
Download a transcript of this episode.
Please connect with us
Subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts
Like our Facebook page
