Scottish Forestry Minister Lewis Macdonald went into the midst of an urban estate of brick-and-concrete houses today to launch a very different building project.

It uses grassed turf to insulate the roof, straw bales to insulate the walls, and Scottish timber almost everywhere in between.
Part of a local regeneration project led by Fife Council, the new building is serving as an exemplar of "low-carbon" construction techniques that is also helping to train five young joinery apprentices in sustainable construction techniques.
It is being built by the charity Community Self-Build Scotland (CSBS) and will house offices for CSBS itself and local community organisations or small businesses.
CSBS has calculated that by maximising the use of "carbon-neutral" materials such as wood and straw, the building will generate 25% less carbon-based greenhouse gas emissions than a similar-sized building made of traditional materials such as brick and concrete.
Speaking at today's ceremony, Mr Macdonald said,
This building shows just what can be achieved when sustainability and local products and processes are at the heart of the design and construction process. In this building we can see and appreciate practical and attractive design that maximises the use of timber grown in Scotland and timber products made in Scotland. These have been grown and processed in ways that highlight their strength and aesthetic qualities, and whose use supports Scottish jobs in growing, harvesting and processing timber.
And it goes a step further, because it also teaches young people essential joinery skills that are in great demand in the construction industry.
This scheme reflects our commitment to sustainability, innovation and skills.
And less than two weeks after the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions came into force, I am delighted to be launching a second project that demonstrates how we in Scotland can make a real contribution to sustainability, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting the effects of climate change. On the day the Protocol came into force I opened a wood-fuelled heating plant at a Forestry Commission Scotland office in North-East Scotland, today demonstrated another sustainable use for our forest products.
CSBS development manager Jess Christman added,
“This innovative building demonstrates how a simple and affordable design can assist in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% compared to a traditional design. The design is appropriate for affordable housing and CSBS looks forward to its use in the delivery of community self-build housing projects in Dunfermline and across Scotland.”
Funding and support for the project has been provided by Fife Council, the European Regional Development Fund through the East of Scotland European Partnership, Communities Scotland through the Fife Special Housing Association, the Scottish Forest Industries Cluster, the Tudor Trust, the Energy Savings Trust, and Forestry Commission Scotland. The joinery trainees working on the project are students of Dunfermline's Lauder College.
NOTES TO EDITOR:
1. The building, at 178 Inchkeith Drive, Abbeyview, Dunfermline, features a post-and-beam frame of oak and Douglas fir timber, Sitka spruce in the roof, walls and floor joists, and larch for the external wall cladding.
2. The Building Research Establishment has calculated that the straw bale wall insulation will have thermal insulation properties significantly exceeding those required by the building standards.
3. The use of Scottish-grown timber and straw as building materials is sustainable because Scottish forests and straw crops are constantly being replaced as they are harvested. The calculation that the building will emit 25% less greenhouse gases than a comparable, traditionally built building has taken into account the energy consumption needed to grow, transport, make and process the building materials as well as the gases emitted by the building's heating system during its lifetime, and those emitted by the wood and straw's eventual decomposition at the end of the building's life.

4. Community Self-Build Scotland is a registered charity that works throughout Scotland helping low-income families with a housing need to work together to build affordable housing that incorporates environmental best practice. It hopes to build a timber house using similar techniques and materials on a plot of land next door to the current building project in Dunfermline.
5. Forestry Commission Scotland serves as the Scottish Executive's forestry department. It manages 656,000 hectares of national forest lands owned by Scottish Ministers for multiple benefits, including timber production, nature conservation and public recreation; supports other woodland owners with grants, felling licences, advice and regulation; promotes the benefits of forests and forest products; and advises Ministers on forestry policy.