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Get Sust! Issue 18
Special issue and special requests
Following on from feedback by students at Oxford Brookes University last year, this issue of Get Sust includes a ‘Careers Special’. It’s not entirely aimed at students, though - there is plenty of information for established practitioners too.
Another new feature this month is “Any questions: any answers?” Pose a question about sustainable construction, or send in an answer. We have ONE new question to set the ball rolling. If you’d like to send in an answer, please e-mail editor@get-sust.com and type ‘Answer’ in the subject line. (Or likewise, if you have a question.) Answers and new questions will be published in the following month’s Get Sust. If this becomes popular, we will investigating setting up a more user-friendly version through the Get Sust website.
Thanks once again to the readers who have reviewed books and sent in suggestions. 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 us as soon as possible. E-mail: editor@get-sust.com.
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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Any questions: any answers?
Q: Seeking energy-related design tools
I am seeking easy-to-use and easy-to-understand energy-related design tools for architects. I discovered a fantastic resource http://www.energydesignresources.com/index.php, but this is US-based and all the climate data is from California. Are there similar resources for the UK and Europe? In particular, I’d like to find simple charts and diagrams that set out the characteristic energy use of different building types, and possibly set out energy use benchmarks in a simple format.
RR, Exeter
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• | Please send answers to: editor@get-sust.com (type ‘Answer’ in the subject line). Answers will be published in Get Sust No. 19 (10 March) |
| © Melanie Thompson 2006 | |
New partnership for construction research
The BRE, the BRE Trust and a group of UK universities have launched a strategic research and development partnership that will create new Centres of Excellence in four subject areas:
- Fire Safety Engineering (at the University of Edinburgh)
- Innovative Construction Materials (University of Bath)
- Energy Utilisation Research (University of Strathclyde)
- Sustainable Building Design Research (University of Cardiff).
A fifth Centre, focusing on ‘People in the built environment’ is also planned.
The idea of these new centres is to develop new research capabilities and for the partners to work together to improve the flow of knowledge between academia and industry.
The BRE Trust will also provide full-time PhD studentships via each Centre.
Learn more:
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• | More details are at www.bretrust.org.uk. |
| © Melanie Thompson 2006 | |
It’s your future - make your voice heard
The government has launched a three-month consultation on the UK’s future energy policy. Issues under the spotlight include nuclear power, carbon abatement, working with other countries on energy policy goals, and the future of heat generation.
Learn more:
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• | To join in the debate, download the document from <http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/review>, and submit comments by 14 April. |
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Recycled materials made easy
WRAP, the Waste & Resources Action Programme, has launched a free-to-use web-based tool that will help designers and project teams choose recycled materials, and show how they benefit the project as a whole.
The Evaluation Tool for Recycled Content in Construction Projects, known as the ‘RC Toolkit’ allows users to:
- estimate levels of recycled content in a project
- identify the top 10 ‘quick win’ opportunities to improve environmental performance by substituting cost-competitive products with a higher-than-standard recycled content
- refine the analysis to reflect actual product choices and design details
- quantify the projected recycled content and report how it will be achieved.
The system can be used to check that a construction project will meet its targeted outcome for recycled content; and reports generated by the RC Toolkit can be used to confirm the level of recycled content that has been achieved. Registered users can generate their own building datasets from scratch, or use one of WRAP’s pre-compiled models.
To complement the RC Toolkit, WRAP has published ‘Choosing Construction Products: recycled content of mainstream products’, a compendium of products and materials commonly used in new build and refurbishment projects.
Learn more:
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• | The RC Toolkit is available to use free-of-charge at http://www.wrap.org.uk/construction/RCtoolkit. |
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• | Project teams influencing substantial construction budgets may be eligible for free training to enable them to take full advantage of the toolkit’s capabilities. For more details, e-mail: toolkittrial@wrap.org.uk. |
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• | ‘Choosing Construction Products: recycled content of mainstream products’ is available for download from WRAP’s dedicated construction portal http://www.wrap.org.uk/construction. |
| © Melanie Thompson 2006 | |
How much heat will your roof dissipate?
‘Roof cooling techniques - a design handbook’
by Simos Yannas, Evyatar Erell, Jose Luis Molina
For those who have an interest in learning more about building physics, this is a worthwhile read. Although the topic is more appropriate to southern Europe than cool and cloudy Britain, we may soon need these techniques... writes Rob Rickey.
The book is in two sections. The first is an excellent introduction to the environmental function of roofs as well as giving a quick survey of traditional and modern construction practices. The second section looks at roof cooling techniques, which include roof ponds, cooling radiators and green roofs. A clear and well-illustrated explanation of each system, and its advantages and disadvantages is provided, including variations.
The section on applicability and performance data makes good use of maps based on Meteonorm data, mainly showing the lack of cooling requirement in Britain. Then we get to the heavy mathematics, which will make most architects’ eyes water.
But if you want to know just how much passive cooling you will get from a green roof, this book has the answers. The CD-ROM included contains the software the authors wrote to simulate the performance of these roofs. With a little application, anyone can run their own simulations of different roof techniques and compare them with reference buildings. Weather data is provided for most of Europe.
Not in the general reading category, this book will provide a framework for understanding and designing passively cooled roofs for anyone who wants to delve further into building physics.
Learn more:
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• | ‘Roof Cooling Techniques – A Design Handbook’ by Simos Yannas, Evyatar Erell, Jose Luis Molina is published by Earthscan Books (ISBN: 1-84407-313-0). Recommended price £40, but currently on offer at £36 if you order via 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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Cutting home-grown carbon emissions
Two new publications from BRE use results from a major study called ’Reducing carbon emissions from the UK housing stock’ (BR 480):
- ‘The scope for reducing carbon emissions from housing,’ (IP15/05) evaluates the scope for cost-effective reductions in emissions through energy efficiency measures in housing. From a starting point of 2001, it considers the potential for reductions by 2010, 2020 and 2050.
- ‘Domestic energy use and carbon emissions: scenarios to 2050,’ (IP 16/05) describes five scenarios for energy consumption and carbon emissions from the domestic sector up to 2050, and examines the costs and savings of each scenario relative to a reference scenario. In addition to traditional energy efficiency measures, it looks at changes to heating systems to introduce low carbon technologies, the use of solar panels and photovoltaics, and increased low carbon electricity generation from the national grid.
For all the scenarios by about 2012 the cumulative savings outweigh the costs - indicating that, considered as an entire package, each of the scenarios would be cost-effective for society as a whole.
Learn more:
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• | ‘The scope for reducing carbon emissions from housing’ (IP15/05) by J Henderson and L Shorrock; price £9.00 (8pp); ISBN: 1 86081 892 7. |
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• | ‘Domestic energy use and carbon emissions: scenarios to 2050’ (IP 16/05) , by J I Utley and L D Shorrock; price £9.00 (6pp); ISBN: 1 86081 893 5. |
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• | Order copies from http://www.brebookshop.com. |
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What is the ‘Merton Rule’?
Some UK local authorities now require the use of on-site renewables for new major developments. This policy, known as the 'Merton Rule', means that many planning authorities now favour pro-renewables projects.
Photovoltaics expert, SolarCentury, is organising a series of ‘Policy to Practice Seminars’ to explain the Merton Rule and planning policies for renewable energy. These events are aimed at clients, developers, surveyors and engineers, and are schedules to take place on:
- 22 February at the Ecobuild/Futurebuild exhibition, Earls Court 2, stand E2
- 23-27 April at the Interbuild exhibition, NEC Birmingham, stand M36.
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• | Click here |
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Get to grips with Part L
BRE is running two one-day workshops this month to help people get to grips with the new Part L Regulations for non-domestic buildings and the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).
Aimed at designers, contractors and building managers, these CPD workshops will summarise the key changes affecting new build and refurbishment, and provide practical guidance on design issues and new procedures. There will also be a demonstration of SBEM, a software package that simplifies the job of the national calculation methodology, demonstrates compliance with minimum energy performance standards, and works out the EPBD asset rating.
- 15 February in Manchester
- 28 February in Birmingham.
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• | The cost of each workshop is £199.75 including VAT. Full programme details and booking instructions are at http://www.bre.co.uk/eventdetails.jsp?id=863. |
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Using wood in sustainable, innovative and creative designs
This ‘timber in architecture’ conference will be held at the RIBA in London on Tuesday 14 March. It will look at some of the most advanced technical solutions and discuss other timber-related issues, such as sourcing sustainable timber, choosing the best material for your project, and compliance with the Building Regulations.
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• | Full details are at http://www.ajtimberdesign.co.uk . |
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...More dates for your diaries
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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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• | 30 March - Small-scale, buildings-integrated wind power. For more information visit http://www.bre.co.uk/events. E-mail events@bre.co.uk. |
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