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Get Sust! Issue 17
The readers write
Last month I asked for willing volunteers to write book reviews. I'm happy to say that, despite the festive season, two MSc students stepped up to the plate. See below.
More reviewers are most welcome. So if you are registered on any relevant first degree or post-graduate course and you’re willing to write 200 words or so in return for keeping the review copy, please contact me as soon as possible. E-mail: editor@get-sust.com .
Next issue (10 February) will be a careers special, and we'd like to hear from experienced practitioners - whether your company is recruiting, runs internships, or just tell us about your exciting work in sustainable construction. Send suggestions to the usual address.
As always, please do continue to support the newsletter by sending in news items, announcements and careers information. And don’t forget to pass it on to colleagues who may be interested.
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Who’s the LEEDer
How many Certificates does it take to make a building ‘green’?
No, that’s not the joke that fell from my cracker on Christmas day... it’s a question that occurred to me when I received a press release last month announcing the ‘first building in the United States to receive BREEAM accreditation’.
In this country we tend to hear only the bad news of our cousins across the Pond. We’re well aware of the Bush Administration’s disputes with climate scientists - well, most scientists, come to think of it. And as a result you could be forgiven for thinking that the SUV-drivers and their ilk are the only ones with any environmental clout. But that ain’t necessarily so.
Mark Gorgolewski, Associate Professor in the Department of Architectural Science at Toronto’s Ryerson University reports that several hundred buildings in the United States have received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification, several thousand projects are seeking it, and this is expected to grow as US local governments increase their drive to address sustainability. (Cities including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles already provide either tax credits or grants for green buildings.)
The Northeast Campus of Los Angeles City College – which proudly announced its BREEAM certificate in December – already has LEED approval. Larry H Eisenberg, the Los Angeles Community College District’s executive director of Facilities Planning and Development explained:
‘By being the first in the world to seek both BREEAM and LEED credentials, Los Angeles Community College District continues to be a leader in the field of sustainable development. Our colleges serve one of the most diverse populations in the world, and it is our commitment to teach them that to think sustainable, we must think global.’
Which begs the question - should we follow their LEED? [Pun intended!] According to Gorgolewski, probably not: ‘There is some concern among architects that LEED may be applied inappropriately, particularly if exported to other geographical areas,’ he says. However, there are certainly lessons to be learnt from the LEED system.
Unlike BREEAM, LEED is a self-certification system. Project teams have to register through the LEED website, and are then required to submit a range of documents that are assessed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) - the body that created LEED. The project receives a score based on performance in six core categories - sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design process.
The requirement to supply documentation on a wide range of issues is, says Gorgolewski, a significant difference between the two systems, which is having a very positive effect on the construction supply chain:
‘Because of the documentation required for LEED certification, materials and components suppliers have been forced to address issues such as emissions, recycling, and waste for their products. ... Subcontractors are having to get used to providing information on their products and processes, and great care and co-ordination is required as projects can lose credits when subcontractors and suppliers don’t understand the specifications.’
For example, one tin of paint that doesn’t meet standards for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can lose a whole indoor air quality credit. This is driving sectors such as the concrete and steel to explore how their materials can contribute to LEED, while others are being forced to publish previously private information such as the method of calculating recycled content of a material.
But there is one point where both BREEAM and LEED fall short, says Gorgolewski, and that is - as usual - what happens once the building is occupied.
It’s not clear whether there are any plans for a post-occupancy evaluation at the Los Angeles City College, but it would be very interesting to find out how a former historic bakery shapes up to the demands of a 21st-century education building.
And so to the punch-line.
- Q: How many Certificates does it take to make a building ‘green’?
- A: We’ll never know... unless someone goes back to check on post-occupancy performance.
Learn more:
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• | The BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) was developed by the UK’s Building Research Establishment. See www.bre.co.uk and www.breeam.org. |
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• | Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) was developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). See www.usgbc.org and www.usgbc.org/LEED. |
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• | Find out about the environmental ambitions of Los Angeles Community College District at www.laccd.org |
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• | Source: LEEDing North America, by Prof. Mark Gorgolewski, School of Architectural Science, Ryerson University. |
| © Melanie Thompson 2006 | |
Review of the renewable energy year
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) named 2005 ‘The renewable energy year’, and to mark what Minister for Energy Malcolm Wicks says was ‘...an excellent year for renewable energy’, the DTI has picked ten of the best green energy projects that began generating electricity in 2005.
Click the links to learn more about these nominated projects :
CIS Building, Manchester (Solar) – Originally built in 1962 as the headquarters for the Co-operative Insurance company and currently undergoing a major refurbishment, this will be the biggest use of solar panels in the UK (due for completion later this month).
Spen Valley Sports Centre, Liversedge, Nr Leeds, West Yorkshire (Microgeneration) – A project developed by the student council after consultation with the local community, this secondary school received half the cost of installing a 15m/15KW wind turbine from a Clear Skies grant.
Eden Centre, St Austell, Cornwall (Solar) – The solar panels on the new education centre at this well-known tourist attraction are also helping to promote renewable energy.
Science Museum, London (Solar) –A solar energy installation has been incorporated into the roof of the East Hall, which is the first hall that visitors enter. A large energy exhibition, mainly concentrating on the future of energy supply, is planned and the solar energy system will be a central feature.
Nissan Motor Plant, Sunderland (Microgeneration) – The first of its kind for any Nissan facility in the world, this £2million scheme has six turbines producing 5 per cent of the annual energy requirement of the 750-acre site. The turbines will also reduce the carbon emissions from power plants supplying the factory by 10,000 tonnes a year.
Learn more:
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• | View the full list at www.dti.gov.uk. |
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• | The DTI has also recently published a report called the 'Potential for microgeneration', which says that by 2050 microgeneration could be providing 30-40% of the UK's total energy needs. Click here to download the report (PDF). |
| © Melanie Thompson 2006 | |
Warm Front really works
Energy efficiency measures installed to existing homes under the Warm Front scheme raise daytime living room temperatures by 1.6°C and night-time bedroom temperatures by 2.8°C, according to analysis undertaken by the Warm Front Study Group.
The Warm Front Scheme is a major government-backed research project, part of which is investigating the health benefits of improving the energy efficiency of homes. The Study Group have monitored 1500 homes in five urban areas of England for energy consumption, fabric heat loss, airtightness, mould growth etc, and have compared their findings with feedback from occupant surveys that looked at thermal comfort, income, health and the habits of the occupants.
In a report published in the journal ‘Energy and Buildings’, they detail a study that aims to quantify the extent to which variation in heating season indoor temperatures is explained by dwelling and household characteristics and increased by energy efficiency improvements in low income households (i.e. whose occupants are likely to experience ‘fuel poverty’). Half-hourly living room and main bedroom temperatures were recorded for 2–4 weeks over two winters. For each dwelling, regression analysis was used to obtain estimates of daytime living room and night time bedroom temperatures under standardised conditions (outdoor temperature of 5°C). The results indicate that the typical daytime living room temperature was 19.1°C (17.1°C at night in bedrooms).
The authors conclude that Warm Front energy efficiency improvements lead to substantial improvements of both living room and bedroom temperatures, which are likely to have benefits in terms of thermal comfort and well-being.
Learn more:
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• | 'Determinants of winter indoor temperatures in low income households in England', by Tadj Oreszczyna et al; Energy and Buildings, Volume 38, Issue 3 , March 2006, Pages 245-252. The full paper is available to ScienceDirect subscribers at www.sciencedirect.com/science. |
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• | For more on the Warm Front study, see Get Sust No. 1. |
| © Melanie Thompson 2006 | |
Better bricks using recycled glass
Research by CERAM Building Technology, the ceramics research organisation, suggests that the energy needed for the brick manufacturing process can be cut if 5 to 10 per cent glass powder (produced from recycled container glass) is added to the clay mixture.
Depending on clay and kiln type, these benefits include reduced firing temperatures, increased throughput and lower emissions. Product improvements can also be achieved, such as greater compressive strength and enhanced frost resistance, in addition to the conservation of natural resources achieved by using a higher recycled content.
The results of their studies have been put together to create a multimedia CD that gives an overview of the practical and technical benefits of using recycled glass as a ‘fluxing agent’, to supplement traditional clay materials, such as Etruria Marl and Carboniferous Shale. The CD is designed to promote this technology to both brick makers and brick buyers.
Learn more:
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• | The CD – From Bottles to Bricks – has been produced by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme), and can be downloaded from www.wrap.org.uk. |
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• | For technical enquiries, contact Bronnie Allen, Materials Development Manager (Glass), WRAP. E-mail: bronnie.allen@wrap.org.uk. |
| © Melanie Thompson 2006 | |
Back to the future - World3, 30 years on
'Limits to Growth: The 30-year Update', by Donella Meadows, Jorgen Randers, Dennis Meadows
Here is a book that does justice to the larger meaning of sustainability, because it includes all of the important elements of sustainability, namely society, economics and the planet.... writes Rob Rickey.
In 1972 a team of experts undertook a challenge from the Club of Rome to look at future patterns and outcomes of world development over two centuries from 1900 to 2100. Using a methodology called ‘systems dynamics’ and a computer program called World3 they projected many scenarios, some sustainable, some not. The conclusions were somewhat optimistic, because the world had not yet crossed the line into unsustainable development. This book revisits that same challenge, with an updated version of World3, and the conclusions are more pessimistic.
Several key concepts are introduced to explain the analyses. For example, ‘overshoot’ is simply to go too far, and causes of overshoot include rapid growth, a limit or barrier to growth, and or a delay or mistake in the responses needed to keep within the limits. Currently we have exceeded the carrying capacity of the Earth, but mankind cannot readily perceive the warning signs.
The authors explain how many of the scenarios of overshoot end in collapse, with both population levels and living standards in 2100 returning to the 1900 levels – a sobering thought indeed.
On the positive side, there are scenarios that describe sustainable levels of population, resource use and pollution, but it is clear that many different factors must be changed to avoid collapse. Technology, which in some circles is seen as the panacea, is applied in all of the scenarios, but is clearly insufficient on its own. This book gives many arguments why large-scale action is required very soon if we are to change the dangerous course we have embarked on and is a must for anyone concerned with achieving sustainability.
Learn more:
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• | 'Limits to Growth: The 30-year Update', by Donella Meadows, Jorgen Randers, Dennis Meadows is published by Earthscan Books (ISBN 1-84407-144-8), priced £14.99. Order copies at www.earthscan.co.uk. |
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• | Rob Rickey is taking an MSc in Environmental Design of Buildings at Cardiff University, but he also works full-time as an architect at Lacey Hickie Caley Ltd. |
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CAT’s cure for homesickness...
The Whole House Book, by Cindy Harris and Pat Borer
I received this book a month before I started an MSc in Environmental Architecture. I was in Japan and I hadn’t read a book in English for over 18 months... writes Sara Turnbull.
It was very definitely the best introduction to my chosen field. It includes technical introductions to the key elements of sustainable design and construction, supported by simple-to-use graphs and tables. Full colour illustrations and hundreds of examples really bring the topic to life.
The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) is based in Wales, so the text is geared towards British or North European contexts. Of course, I was still able to gain some insight into environmental design in Japan, but to be honest the luscious photographs of houses in the UK made me homesick.
After a month dipping into ‘The Whole House Book’ I was back in the UK and able to understand the basic principles in lectures.
Informative and accessible ‘The Whole House Book’ is an absolute must for beginners in environmental architecture.Learn more:
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• | The Whole House Book, by Cindy Harris and Pat Borer, CAT Publishing, 2005 (ISBN 1-90217-522-0), price £35.00. Order your copy from www.cat.org.uk. |
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• | Sara Turnbull is taking an MSc in Environmental Architecture. She works at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT). Read about her recent visit to Montreal where she attended the COP11 international climate change summit. |
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The RIBA President’s Medals - Student Awards
Award-winning student work – including the Dissertation Medal, the Bronze Medal for Part 1 and the Silver Medal for Part 2 students, selected from over 120 Schools of Architecture – is on show at the RIBA London HQ until 28 February. These Awards are aimed at promoting excellence in the study of architecture, rewarding talent and encouraging architectural debate worldwide.
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• | All nominated projects can also be viewed online at www.presidentsmedals.com. |
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National Green Specification seminar
The UK construction industry creates around 100 million tonnes of waste per year, and the best way to reduce that figure is to design-out waste in the first instance and specify recycled products where feasible. That’s where the National Green Specification (NGS) should come in very useful.
The NGS has created specifications for recycled building products and workmanship clauses for waste management activities on construction and demolition sites. The specifications and clauses will aid designers and specifiers in making informed choices in terms of the protection of the environment, material resources, embodied energy, life expectancy and durability.
BRE is hosting a one-day seminar on 30 January 2006 to explain the specifications and outline plans for future work in the area of sustainable construction.
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• | For more details, or to book a place (cost: £70.50 incl.), visit www.bre.co.uk or send an e-mail to: events@bre.co.uk. |
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From dawn to dusk - Constructing Excellence briefings
What does ‘low carbon’ mean in reality, and can low-carbon buildings be achieved at reasonable cost? Find out at a free breakfast event on 27 January 2006, at the central London HQ of the organiser, Constructing Excellence in the Built Environment. As a taster to the topic, delegates will hear brief presentations on the key issue followed by Q&A and debate in a business breakfast environment.
The sustainable masonry construction (SUMACON) network is running a ‘twilight seminar’ (£50 per person) at the same venue on 19 January, where experts from engineering, material supplier and academic backgrounds outlining current projects, the latest developments and the future of sustainable masonry construction.
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• | For details, or to reserve a place at either event, contact the Constructing Excellence helpdesk (Tel: 0845 605 55 56) or E-mail: helpdesk@constructingexcellence.org.uk or see www.constructingexcellence.org.uk. |
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Environmentally sustainable design of new-build housing
This seminar – at the TechnoCentre, Coventry University on 14 February 2006 – will present findings from the latest research in sustainable housing, and includes:
- Technical analysis of the new Building Regulations, which come into effect on 06 April 2006
- Assessment of an urban village using the carbon abatement relative balance financial methodology
- Modern methods of construction and sustainability
- The development of permeable pavement, as a sustainable urban drainage system.
There will also be a presentation on ‘Future potential of renewable energy sources for the West Midlands, and the UK, Housing’ by Professor Ali Sayigh, Director General of World Renewable Energy Network, and Chairman of World Renewable Energy Congress.
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• | Cost: £75.00 +VAT. To book a place, contact Mrs Judith Blakeman, j.blakeman@coventry.ac.uk. |
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• | More details are at www.kennethholmesassociates.com/seminar. |
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Hemp for houses
The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) is hosting a conference ‘Industrial use of hemp’ on Saturday 11 March 2006.
Hemp is a highly versatile material, already used in a range of applications, including paper, health food supplements and fabric. Keynote speakers will give an overview of the environmental and economic possibilities of growing hemp in the UK. Speakers include Professor Tom Woolley of Belfast University and Dr Tim Yates of BRE, who will speak about the Haverhill Housing Project in Suffolk.
During lunchtime there will be a practical demonstration of hemp wall building from Normandy-based ecobuilder Laurence Brown.
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• | This conference is open to all. Price: £10 per person, including entrance fee to CAT, and tea and coffee. To book e-mail courses@cat.org.uk or Tel: 01654 705981. |
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...More dates for your diaries
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• | 30 January - Comfort vs efficiency - launch event for CIBSE's Guide A: Environmental Design. Full details are at www.cibse.org (choose events). |
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• | 22-23 February - EcoBuild Conference and Exhibition - Earls Court, London. See www.ecobuild.co.uk. |
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• | 3-6 March - Solar Cities Congress, Oxford- Special discounts for students. Learn more at www.solarcities.org.uk. |
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• | 21-22 March - CIBSE National Conference 2006 - Special discounts for students. Full details are at www.cibse.org (choose events). |
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RIBA award for research
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has launched a new awards scheme – the RIBA President’s Awards for Research - to reward and encourage outstanding research in architecture carried out by PhD students, academics and practitioners.
Every year there will be an award for the best PhD thesis from a UK RIBA validated school of architecture. In addition, on alternate years there will be awards for outstanding academic-led research and outstanding practice-led research (starting with the academic award in the first year).
There is no entrance fee for submissions. |
• | Full details are at http://www.riba.org. Submission deadline for the first awards is 1 June 2006, and the Award Ceremony will be in mid-October 2006. |
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Awards for sustainable energy projects
The 2005 Ashden Awards will reward outstanding, inspirational and innovative local sustainable energy projects, programmes or products that both protect the environment and make real improvements to people's quality of life.
There will be up to three first prizes of £30,000 with second prizes of £10,000 for demonstrated local energy solutions in the field of electricity generation (such as micro-hydro, wind, solar photovoltaics), heat generation (biomass, heat pumps, solar water heating and so on) and energy-efficiency measures.
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• | Full details are at http://www.ashdenawards.org. Closing date for entries is 19 January 2006. |
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Senior Policy Officer - Energy, GLA
An opportunity to contribute to the Mayor of London’s Energy Strategy: key areas of work include reducing CO2 emissions, promoting renewable energy, and negotiating with developers on strategic planning applications. Salary: £36,465.
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• | Application information is available at www.london.gov.uk |
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• | Closing date: noon 25 January 2006. (Please mention Get Sust when replying to this advertisement.) |
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Part II Assistant (all rounder) - Bristol
Andrew Kenyon Architects, a small Bristol-based practice, is looking for a Part II Assistant (all rounder) to help on all aspects of projects. This is an opportunity to work on high-quality residential projects, contemporary new buildings, listed building projects, and green oak buildings.
The company is also looking for contract architects/technicians (in-house and remote working options available)
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• | To apply, send your CV, hardcopy examples of work (no CDs) and current salary details to: Andrew Kenyon Architects, 3 Elliston Road, Redland, Bristol BS6 6QF. Tel: 0117 908 2466. E-mail: andrewkenyon@blueyonder.co.uk. |
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• | (Please mention Get Sust when replying to this advertisement.) |
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Future Systems are looking for a bright, talented year out/part one student. Candidates must have good model-making skills, and be familiar with AutoCAD and Adobe applications in particular. The position will involve working on a variety of projects in the office.
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• | To apply, send a covering letter, CV and hardcopy examples (no CDs) to: Misha Kitlerova, Future Systems, The Warehouse, 20 Victoria Gardens, London W11 3PE. E-mail: misha@future-systems.com.(Please mention Get Sust when replying to this advertisement.) |
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Part II RIBA students in Cheshire
Race Cottam Associates Ltd is a small friendly architects practice based in Knutsford, Cheshire. The company needs Part II RIBA students to play important roles on a variety of exciting projects for ‘blue-chip’ clients throughout the UK.
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• | To find out more, contact Simon Noblet, Director, Race Cottam Associates Ltd. Tel: 01565 631 450. . |
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