With the increasing requirements for Part L of the Building Regulations it is becoming harder to achieve compliance without the use of renewable energy. Designing to passivhaus principles is probably the best way of achieving the best possible structure without the use of renewable energy. Sue Waring is qualified as passivhaus consultant for Buildings for Tomorrow and would be happy to work with design teams on developing projects to passivhaus standards.
A study carried out by Sweett Group for the Zero Carbon Hub finds that the typical additional cost of building a semi-detached house to the zero carbon standard can be less than £5,000 today, and could fall to under £3,500 within the next six years. (more…)
An interesting experiment is unfolding in Seattle:
The Bullitt Centre is designed as a net zero energy building where all the energy used to run the building is produced on site, and all the water used in the building, including for cups of coffee, is collected and purified on site.
It has other interesting features: (more…)
The changes to Part L in England will now come into force in April 2014 (more…)
The BRE have issued a new BREEAM Assessment method for simpler buildings. This is designed for buildings whose services are simple, regardless of the size of the building.
The assessment is simpler in the sense that it omits 10 of the issues, simplifies 10 others and then all remaining 29 issues are as in other assessments.
The BRE states the following:
- Where the building includes complex services,systems or functions/facilities including, but not limited to those listed below, it cannot be defined or assessed as a ‘simple building’and a full BREEAM assessment should be carried out:
- Where the building includes complex services,systems or functions/facilities including, but not limited
to those listed below, it cannot be defined or assessed as a ‘simple building’and a full BREEAM assessment should be carried out:
- Air conditioning and refrigeration systems, with the exception of localised systems where the total collective refrigerant charge is less than 5kg (e.g.small packaged units and heat pumps)
- Mechanical ventilation, displacement ventilation,and complex passive ventilation.
- Small local systems,such as local split cooling system or ventilation systems(to service single rooms or areas for occasional or seasonal use only), can be assessed under the simple buildings criteria.
- Renewable energy sources, with the exception of on-site microgeneration technologies
- Renewable energy sources, with the exception of situations where connecting to an existing communal network system
- Laboratories and buildings that contain either fume cupboards and/or safety cabinets and/or containment areas
- Major water-consuming plant or functions such as swimming / hydrotherapy/ research pools/vehicle wash
- Cold storage plant and enclosures, with the exception of domestic scale refrigeration
- Escalators and/or travelling walkways.
BREEAM New Construction 2011 has introduced a new credit for good indoor air quality in the newly constructed building. This credit can be achieved for providing an Indoor Air Quality Plan and carrying out testing of the newly completed building to ensure levels of formaldeyhyde and VOC’s are not excessively high.
Further research is needed into the effects of high levels of formaldehyde and VOC’s in buildings on their occupants although high levels are said to cause cancer and birth defects. This issue has not been taken seriously in the UK so far, but other countries carry out testing routinely on new buildings.
The Energy Saving Trust has published interesting details of their field trial of solar water heating. It shows that up to 60% of water heating (more…)
This section of the BREEAM just got even more complicated with the 2011 update. (more…)
Visit the website of the Ecohome centre for details of sustainable building products you can buy online: http://www.ecohomecentre.co.uk/
Eco books, paints , kettles, insulating paint additive and lots more.
Buildings for Tomorrow Ltd
30, Northumberland St
Canton
Cardiff CF5 1NA
South Wales
07879 227741
sue.waring@buildingsfortomorrow.co.uk
