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Get Sust! Issue 14
Thanks to:
BRE for access to the resource05 conference
Which way now?
Get Sust! returns to your desktops after a substantial summer break, during which time we have been joined by around 30 new subscribers.
The scheduled developments to the Get Sust! website have been slightly delayed, but we hope that does not impede your enjoyment of the newsletter, and hope it continues to be a useful resource to students, academics and professionals who are interested in sustainable construction.
Some of you have mentioned that the plain text format of the e-mail newsletter is a little dull. Point taken. However, please bear with us. There are several reasons for this:
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• | it’s quicker (and cheaper) to produce |
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• | it’s easier to pass the newsletter to others by forwarding it |
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• | it’s less prone to bounce-backs from firewalls that suspect it is junk. |
However, if sufficient readers would prefer a different format, we will investigate the possibilities. Please let us know if you would rather receive the newsletter as:
(a) plain text e-mail (i.e. no change)
(b) short e-mail message with main text as a Word attachment
(c) short e-mail message with main text as a PDF attachment
(d) shortened e-mail in HTML format with articles linked back to the Get Sust! website.
Simply send an e-mail marked (a), (b), (c) or (d) to: (e-mail: editor@get-sust.com).
Thanks, in advance, for your comments on this and other matters.
| © Melanie Thompson 2005 |  |
Is sustainable construction... sustainable?
For the third year in a row I’ve attended an Autumn conference that concentrated on the sustainable construction agenda. In 2003 and 2004 it was the CIBSE National Congress; this year it was the Building Research Establishment’s ‘resource05’ event. At each event a series of highly respected policy-makers and scientists have expressed urgent concern over the role that our buildings play in accelerating climate change; at each event delegates from the UK and overseas have packed into lecture halls and warmly received the presentations.
Three years on, have we really made very much progress? As one of the speakers on the first day of resource05 said: if we carry on burning fossil fuels at the current rate of acceleration, it is only ten years until concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide reach the critical ‘tipping point’ - beyond which there is little chance of avoiding the worst effects of climate change.
Our response is ‘leisurely’, to put it mildly: further delays to the introduction of the new Part L of the Building Regulations; uncertainty over the implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD); the government’s long-awaited Code for Sustainable Buildings which is still... erm... long-awaited; not to mention the vociferous NIMBYs who continue to hold sway over the renewables market by blocking planning permission for wind farms and the like, while foolishly overlooking the fact that the other main alternative is nuclear. [Rant over.]
However, as Get Sust! has reported over the past 13 issues, there ARE plenty of examples of good sustainable construction in the UK and overseas. More were in evidence at resource05.
For example, Chiel Boonstra of DHV Building and Industry in the Netherlands described the Passivhaus Project, which has clearly demonstrated that it is possible to build very highly insulated and airtight (i.e. low heat demand) social housing that can compete with conventional housing in cost terms. And Winton Smith of the UK Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE) presented a report on techniques that could be used to upgrade the homes of around half of Europe’s population - the 36 million people who live in high-rise dwellings.
The Europe-wide study he described involved 28 countries divided into eight regions (according to climate and economy). For each region, typical energy efficiency measures were applied to ‘model’ multi-storey blocks and simulations were performed to assess which measures worked best (and were most cost-effective). The theory was then put to the practical test, and a series of case studies developed. In St Petersburg, Russia, for example, adding an extra storey effectively paid for the refurbishment of the block; and at Glastonbury House in London, state-of-the-art virtual reality tours have been used to show residents the proposed interior of their new homes. This has improved tenant perceptions of the renovations, which include the use of combined heat and power plant, and a wind turbine on the roof.
But it was left to Robert Hastings of Architecture, Energy and Environment, Switzerland, to state the obvious: energy-efficiency does not sell properties. His study (funded by the International Energy Authority, IEA) involved 17 countries and dates back to 1998 when they began by looking at high-performance windows. The study has concluded that, although a zero-energy house is perfectly possible it is not affordable commercially, and compromises have to be made.
The prefabricated timber dwellings that were built as demonstration homes for this project had ‘super glazing’ (U-value 0.5W/m2K), ‘super insulation’ (U-value 0.15W/m2K) - which meant that wood-burning stoves only needed to contribute 2-3kW of heat - and an all-in-one heating ventilation and hot water system. Interestingly, the project concentrated on single-family homes because of the higher heat loss through the fabric per occupant, when compared with terraces or flats.
Worthwhile and laudable projects all; but isolated projects can only play a very small part in reducing overall carbon emissions. Granted, every small step is a step on the route to sustainability, but we’d better pick up the pace from a stroll to a sprint if we are to head off the worst that climate change could throw at us.
Serendipitously, a couple of speakers on the second day of resource05 hinted at a better way forward - to raise sustainability, and energy efficiency in particular, up the public’s agenda.
The major supermarkets in the UK and overseas have developed the art of shopping into a science. They know what we buy, when and where we buy it, and they are fantastic at pushing us towards products and services that we hadn’t known we needed. (Next time you’re wandering down the isles, just look at the plethora of ‘wipes’ impregnated with a vast array of cleaning fluids, if you don’t believe me.) Supermarkets and department stores may say that they are responding to customer needs, but in fact they very cleverly manipulate us to want the products they have to offer. So why not enlist their help to educate the public to choose sustainability?
Bill Wright is the corporate energy manager for the John Lewis Partnership, which owns the Waitrose supermarket chain. Being a ‘partnership’ means that all the staff have a stake in the success of the business (and its profits). He told delegates to resource05 that recent fuel cost increases could potentially hit the annual bonus of every single staff member to the tune of some £250 per person. What better incentive could these people have to save? And yet Mr Wright’s job is no picnic. Retailing is an energy-hungry business, and store design is not (currently) permitted to be compromised for the sake of sustainability. He’s working on it... and with this in mind he welcomes the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) because that will make designers and clients focus more on fabric issues. Until then, the best he can achieve is through educating staff.
And that is where companies like John Lewis could become so influential. If they have the marketing expertise to encourage the public to buy organic produce and free range meat, to recycle our carrier bags and to buy energy-saving light bulbs, why can’t they also take up the challenge to promote wider sustainability?
They could start by practicing what they preach and commissioning more-sustainable stores (as Sainsbury’s has already tried); and they can enhance their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) rating by telling everyone what they are doing. For instance, did you know that the free range chickens on Waitrose’s egg farm are fed grain from an automated hopper that is powered by solar photovoltaics? [What a shame their useful CRS statement and general information on sustainability isn’t easy to find from their dot-com ‘shopping’ site.]
The other longer-term approach to changing the public’s opinion is through our children. A significant number of new schools have been built on sustainable principles; many are using micro-turbines and PVs as teaching aids; others have to make do with energy-efficiency campaigns that turn students into proto-energy managers. Next we need a schools’ sustainability champion, who can do for buildings what Jamie Oliver has done for school dinners...
And I know just the man: Ken Dunn is an inspirational geography teacher from Sheffield who not only cajoled his inner city students to build a fantastic ‘working river delta’ powered by a wind turbine and PVs in a run-down quadrangle, but then took his students to Lesotho in southern Africa where they installed another turbine that brought electricity to a village school - to the astonishment of locals who had never seen a working light bulb before.
And so to my original question: is sustainability sustainable? The answer has to be ‘yes’, but only if we all do our bit. I’m pleased to hear that SPONGE is also taking up the challenge to improve the marketability of sustainability (see News, below). Yesterday the Education Minister indicated that the government also has this approach in its line of sight (see News, below). So my challenge to Get Sust! readers is to go out and spread the word... Every little helps!
Learn more:
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• | Presentations from most of the speakers at the three-day resource05 event can be downloaded from www.resource05.com (choose ‘presentations from the event’ from the horizontal menu bar). |
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• | CIBSE National Congress 2003 and 2004 are reported in Get Sust! nos 1 and 6 respectively at www.get-sust.com (choose Newsletter archive). |
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• | The new Part L comes into effect on 6 April. See www.odpm.gov.uk (choose ‘Building regulations’). |
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• | To learn more about the Passivhaus Project, contact Chiel Boonstra. E-mail: chiel.boonstra@dhv.nl . |
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• | See www.ukace.org or contact Winton Smith direct. E-mail: winton@ukace.org. |
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• | The IEA project is described in various publications that are accessible at www.iea-shc.org . ‘Sustainable solar housing’ is a book on the project that will be published by James and James in March 2006. |
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• | John Lewis’s sustainability strategies, CSR statement and advice to the public on sustainability are at www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk . |
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• | Ken Dunn is now Assistant Headteacher at City School, Sheffield, where he is working on the school’s carbon footprint. See www.city.sheffield.sch.uk . |
| © Melanie Thompson 2005 | |
Building the market for sustainable lifestyles
SPONGE, the networking organisation for young professionals interested in sustainable construction, is launching a new project in November that aims to promote the idea of sustainable living.
The project, which is part-funded by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), aims to develop a ‘business case’ for sustainable living - in other words, to gather and promote information to show that there are financial benefits to sustainability. The project has commissioned some preliminary research on this topic, which will be discussed at the launch event. The next step is to engage SPONGE members in the debate and to develop good communication links with government, local authorities and others who have the power to influence the implementation of sustainable construction techniques.
Learn more:
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• | The launch event is on 3 November at the RSA, John Adam Street, London, from 6.30-10.00pm. See www.spongenet.org . |
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• | Contact Ben Gill. E-mail: ben@spongenet.org . |
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Doing what comes naturally
Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks told the Greener Croydon conference on Monday 10 October that he believes the UK's school children can act as a positive force for renewable energy. Launching the DTi’s 'it's only natural' education initiative he said:
‘The climate change challenge is not just about national or global targets, new initiatives or new technologies. It is also about winning hearts and minds, especially young hearts and young minds.
‘Our schools and our children may become the most decisive force for change - a green vanguard urging their elders on.’
The Department of Trade and Industry’s classroom-based education initiative aims to teach young people more about renewable energy and its role in helping to reduce carbon emissions.
The Minister said: ‘There is currently massive investment in new or improved school buildings. Energy efficiency is already a key part of that programme.’
He cited examples of renewables technology in action at the Ashburton learning village in Croydon, St James the Great Primary School (which has installed solar panels), and a joint project between Spa Hill allotments and David Livingstone Primary School to erect a wind turbine.
Learn more:
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• | See www.dti.gov.uk (choose News). |
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What saves the most energy?
Researchers at the University of Cambridge Department of Architecture have found that double-glazing could be the most effective way to cut energy consumption in homes in the future.
Mike McEvoy and M.R. Gaterell used building simulation techniques to assess the relative merits of various energy-saving measures and how they would perform under the conditions that the UK can expect as a result of climate change (for example, warmer, wetter winters and hotter summers). They found that double-glazing is the best measure, thermally, because it delivers the highest savings in heating energy and has the smallest impact on the need for comfort cooling (air-conditioning). Loft insulation, on the other hand, was the worst option because, although this is a proven way to cut winter fuel consumption, it continues to keep in heat during hot summer months, which may encourage people to call for comfort cooling.
Learn more:
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• | Full details of their study are published in ‘The impact of climate change uncertainties on the performance of energy efficiency measures applied to dwellings’, by MR Gaterell and ME McEvoy, in the journal ‘Energy and Buildings’, Vol. 37, Issue 9, pp982-995, available on-line at www.sciencedirect.com . |
| © Melanie Thompson 2005 | |
Evaluating the performance of green roofs
A team based at the Indian Institute of Technology’s centre for Energy Studies has developed a mathematical model for evaluating the cooling potential of green roofs and solar thermal shading of buildings.
Rakesh Kumar and SC Kaushik developed their model to analyse the performance of the various components of green roofs - the green canopy, the soil, and the support layer - and then tested their model’s accuracy against experimental data gathered from a roof-top garden in Yamuna Nagar. They found that their model was very good at predicting the air temperature of the green canopy and changes in indoor air temperature. Their study also suggests that the green roof was sufficient to maintain an average room temperature of just under 26-degrees (typical summer-time temperatures in Yamuna Nagar are in the high 30s).
Learn more:
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• | Full details are in ‘Performance evaluation of green roof and shading for thermal protection of buildings’, by Rakesh Kumar and SC Kaushik, in ‘Building and Environment’, Vol. 40, Issue 11, pp1505-1511, available on-line at www.sciencedirect.com ; due for paper publication in November 2005. |
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• | Other recent articles of interest in this journal include: ‘On-line airflow pattern measurement in ventilated buildings’ by S Van Buggenhout et al, Vol. 40, No. 10, pp1291-1301; and ‘Performance analysis of a solar energy driven heating system’ by PJ Martinez et al, Vol. 40, No.10, pp1028-1034. |
| © Melanie Thompson 2005 | |
Energy calculations for Part L
The UK’s Building Research Establishment (BRE) has been working on a new software tool that can be used to calculate the energy performance of non-domestic (and larger domestic) buildings, as required under the forthcoming changes to Part L of the Building Regulations. The new software, known as SBEM (simplified building energy model) has been extensively tested, and was demonstrated (live) at the recent resource05 event (see Feature: ‘Is sustainability sustainable?’, above).
SBEM consists of an energy use calculation tool, a data-entry interface (iSBEM), and a set of databases from which the tool draws information. The databases cover energy use for typical activities within the building: descriptions of wall, floor, roof and glazing systems; and details on heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and lighting systems. The tool is designed to be used to calculate energy consumption of non-domestic buildings, and of dwellings that are over 450m2. Outputs from the tool will demonstrate the building’s compliance with minimum energy performance stands. It also calculates an ‘asset rating’, which is a requirement of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) that is due to come into force in the UK on 4 January 2006.
Learn more:
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• | A prototype of the SBEM is at www.ncm.bre.co.uk . Note that the software is tailored for Windows; it is not compatible with Mac OS or Linux. See also Events, below. |
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Renewable heat and power for homes
Tomas Persson and colleagues at the Solar Energy Research Center (SERC) in Sweden have recently published the results of their study of four different renewables-based heating systems for the domestic market.
They studied models of electrically heated family homes then changed the heating to a combined system that features a stove that burns wood pellets and a solar heating system. Four different configurations were tested using TRNSYS simulation software. Their results suggest various changes that could be made to the stoves to improve efficiency and cut emissions, for example, introducing advanced temperature controls to reduce the number of times the stove starts and stops.
Learn more:
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• | Full details of the study are presented in ‘Electrical savings by use of wood pellet stoves and solar heating systems in electrically heated single-family homes’, by T Persson et al, in ‘Energy and Buildings’, Vol. 37, No. 9, September 2005, pp920-929, available on-line at www.sciencedirect.com . |
| © Melanie Thompson 2005 | |
Recycled aggregates gain favour
An on-going research programme run by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has recently published three years’ research findings on-line.
Estimates suggest that the UK will need an additional 20 million tonnes of aggregates per year by 2012 (on top of the current usage of 275 million tonnes), and more of this needs to come from recycled and secondary aggregates (RSAs). The study has identified the barriers to using RSAs, and is now concentrating on the role of RSAs in reducing carbon emissions and developing new performance testing techniques for these materials, among other things.
Learn more:
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• | Details of completed research projects, and future work are at www.aggregain.org.uk . |
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Good solutions to small waste problems
Information Paper 9/05, published by BRE, reports the findings of a Partners In Innovation study into the use of ‘small volume wastes’ (SVWs) for construction. The research team found that SVWs - such as slag from metals processing, ash from incinerators, and container glass - can safely be used for brick production or as aggregate, hardcore or fill. For example, one case study shows how recycled glass was used for road production.
Learn more:
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• | IP 9/05 ‘Using small volume wastes in construction’ is available from www.brebookshop.com . |
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Wood architecture
Journalist Ruth Slavid has compiled an illustrated guide to the use of wood in modern architecture. It has 300 illustrations, and covers cutting-edge techniques and designs as well as less conventional buildings such as the Tower of Babel in the Netherlands, which is built entirely from scavenged timber.
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• | ‘Wood Architecture’ by Ruth Slavid is published by TRADA Publications, priced £35 (£31.50 to TRADA members). E-mail: info@trada.co.uk . See some of the illustrations at www.trada.co.uk . |
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Sustainable procurement for local authorities
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has published a free guide that is intended to help local councils to make better decisions about sustainable procurement. The guide offers practical examples of projects that have successfully used recycled materials in projects ranging from highways maintenance and estates management to new build schools. Using recycled materials is a double benefit for local authorities: it helps councils to achieve their sustainability targets, and generates a market for the materials that are collected from households and businesses.
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• | ‘Good Practice Guide: Procurement and the efficient use of material resources’ can be downloaded from www.wrap.org.uk/publications (search for ‘procurement’). |
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The Rough Guide to Sustainability - New Edition
Brian Edwards has updated and expanded his popular guide, which is suitable for both students and practitioners. The second edition includes: completely new material on vernacular buildings, offices, schools and housing; a history of green architecture; and a guide to international conventions and agreements, including those from the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.
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• | ‘The Rough Guide to Sustainability’ (2nd Edition) by Brian Edwards is published by RIBA Publishing, price £19.95 (208pp, paperback). Order copies from www.ribabookshops.com . |
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Renewables conference proceedings
BRE has published a 12-page summary of proceedings at the ‘Small scale and buildings-integrated wind power’ event that it hosted earlier this year (see Get Sust! no. 12 at http://www.get-sust.com ). A follow-up event is planned for Spring 2006.
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• | IP 12/05 ‘Small scale and building integrated wind power systems’, published by BRE, priced £9 (plus postage and packing) can be ordered at www.brebookshop.com . |
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Call for papers: Solar Cities Congress
The organisers of the Second International Solar Cities Congress have extended the deadline for submission of abstracts to 15 October.
This event, which will take place in Oxford from 3-6 April 2006, will look at: implementation of the low-carbon city; eco-buildings; solar and wind technologies in urban environments; policy issues. Special topics will discuss climate prediction, sustainable transport and emissions reduction - among other things.
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• | Full details are at www.solarcities.org.uk . |
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Designs for healthy hospitals
On Tuesday 18 October the Building Centre Trust is hosting an afternoon of free events that discuss the positive benefits good architecture can have on healthcare buildings. An afternoon seminar (2-6pm) features six leading healthcare designers who will discuss recent projects; this is followed at 6.30pm by a lecture presented by Charles Jencks, who will talk about the Maggie’s London centre, which was designed by the Richard Rogers partnership.
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• | These events are free, but booking is essential. E-mail: events@buildingcentretrust.org . |
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Part L events
CIBSE is running a special two-day conference (8 and 9 November) to inform the industry about the forthcoming changes to the Building Regulations Parts L and F. The event is supported by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), which is driving forward the changes. The event will outline the implementation schedule and penalties for non-compliance, as well as discussing the building certification process, calculation procedures and tools, and the role of architects, facilities managers and building control officers.
BRE is also running a Part L event - on 18 October. It will feature a demonstration of the simplified building energy method (SBEM), which BRE has developed for ODPM.
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• | Full details of the CIBSE event are at www.cibse.org . |
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• | The BRE briefing is at Watford. E-mail: events@bre.co.uk . See also www.bre.co.uk . |
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SUMACON workshop
The Sustainable Masonry Construction Network (SUMACON), which was set up in 2004, is running a two-day workshop in Bristol on 17 and 18 October. The network is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and is open to academics, materials producers and suppliers, architects and policy-makers. The objective of the October workshop is to identify new areas of research and look at policy trends that will affect the supply and use of sustainable building materials.
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• | Contact Dr Richard J Ball, University of Bristol, Interface Analysis Centre. E-mail: richard.ball@bristol.ac.uk . See www.sumacon.org . |
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Timber-frame training
The Walter Segal Self Build Trust (WSSBT) is running a one-day introduction to self-build using timber-frame construction techniques on 22 October.
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• | The course costs £65, and a student discount may be available. Contact Geoff Stow for details. E-mail: geoff@segalselfbuild.co.uk . See also www.segalselfbuild.co.uk . |
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Power for the people - debate at City University
Chaired by Richard Lindley (of ITN and Panorama), and featuring Stephen Tindale (Greenpeace) and Michael Hanlon (science editor, the Daily Mail), City University’s debate ‘Nuclear power has no future’ could be the hottest event in town on 19 October.
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• | Booking is essential. Send your name, organisation, job title and daytime contact details to Rachel Withams. E-mail: rachel.withams@city.ac.uk . Travel details are at www.city.ac.uk/maps . |
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Making sustainability more cost-effective
Constructing Excellence in the Built Environment is holding a breakfast briefing to discuss this topic on Thursday 27 October from 8.30am to 10.00am. This event, at CE’s London offices, is free.
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• | * To book a place, contact the CE Events team. Tel: 020 7592 1100. See also www.constructingexcellence.org.uk . |
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Biofuels for CHP
Combined heat and power units (CHP) powered by biofuels - from coppiced willow to cattle slurry - could prove to be an excellent renewable energy solution for all sorts of buildings. CIBSE is running a one-day conference to outline the technology and possibilities.
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• | This event is on 29 November at CIBSE’s London HQ. Details are at www.cibse.org . |
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Professional Diploma in Architecture: Advanced environmental and energy studies
The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), based at Machynlleth, Wales, and the University of East London (UEL) are creating a new course that will offer candidates exemption from the RIBA Part 2 examination (subject to confirmation).
The course will be run over 18 months as a series of six-day residential events at CAT and a residential Summer School in London. It will blend design and academic study, focusing on environmental issues. One particular benefit of the course is the opportunity for architecture students to work in a multi-disciplinary environment.
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• | The course starts in September 2006. For further details contact Alison Pooley. E-mail: a.pooley@uel.ac.uk . See also http://www.cat.org.uk/courses . |
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On-line course listings
Richard Nicholls, a Get Sust! subscriber and lecturer in sustainable architecture at Huddersfield University has written to let us know that he has recently updated his on-line directory of postgraduate courses in energy, environment and sustainability.
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• | Visit www.info4study.co.uk/ees.htm . |
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BREEAM Assessor/Sustainable Design Consultant
Faber Maunsell’s Sustainable Development Group (SDG) is looking for a BREEAM assessor who can provide expert advice to public and private-sector clients on sustainable design, construction design, and the construction and operation of commercial and residential buildings. The post-holder will be based in Altrincham, Leeds or Liverpool. Candidates should have a first or second degree in an environmental or building-related discipline. Salary: Dependent on experience.
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• | To apply, send a CV and covering letter to Rachel Waggett. Tel: 0161 927 8294. E-mail: rachel.waggett@fabermaunsell.com . Closing date: 14 October. (Please mention that you saw the vacancy in Get Sust!) |
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Energy Manager, Durham University
This role will include responsibility for management of energy and utilities, and reinforcing the University's commitment to a carbon reduction programme. Candidates should have an engineering background and a proven track record in energy management. Salary: £30,363-£35,883.
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• | Details are at http://jobs.dur.ac.uk . Closing date: 24 October 2005 Ref: 0865. |
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