Network - The free AECB newsletter - December 2009
Network - The free AECB newsletter - December 2009 |
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Network is free and distributed to members of the AECB and those who have subscribed to it. If it is passed on or reused, acknowledgment should be given to the information sources directly (newspaper and periodical titles, web site owners, events organisers etc.). Information contained in this mailing does not represent the views or policy of the AECB or the editor, nor does any reference contained herein imply any form of endorsement. |
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If you have any news, events or courses you would like to publicise in Network then please email details to network@aecb.net, or post to Chris Lord-Smith, y Graig, Llidiart-y-Waen, Llanidloes, SY18 6JT. |
Introducing Adam Smith, AECB's New Business Development ManagerHello again, as AECB's newly appointed Business Development Manager I'm looking forward to the challenge of developing our services to Members, growing our membership, extending our influence to those places it has not yet reached and to working with you all to achieve these objectives. The Business Development Manager role is a new one for AECB and one funded by the Esme Fairburn Foundation who, coincidentally, funded my last role as Business Development Manager at the London Wildlife Trust (LWT). LWT, together with the 47 Wildlife Trusts nationally, is dedicated to improving and extending quality green space not only for wildlife but for people too. In the same way I believe buildings whether homes or workplaces should be about people too. Attractive, environmentally sustainable buildings with green roofs which complement their surroundings are always the aspiration in the ecology and conservation sector, if not always achievable owing to unpredictable funding streams and it is good to see that AECB Members have worked with other green organisations nationally to produce some truly wonderful buildings. I worked on a number of private sector contracts where the companies concerned really did have an eye to the ecology and conservation value of the sites and it is encouraging to see this approach extending to good sustainable building practices. Prior to London Wildlife Trust, I worked for two national housing membership organisations: as Feedback Business Manager at the National Housing Federation, the Housing Association's trade body and as a Regional Manager at HOMES, a government funded housing agency which helped 15,000 people per year to move around the UK for pressing social, health or employment reasons. Good communication with you the Member is vital in all such organisations and one of the first things I'll be looking at is what's working well in the way we communicate with you and what we can do better. This Business Development role is a great opportunity and I intend with your help to make sure that AECB gets the most from it. You'll be hearing from me regularly, of course, and in the meantime, I'd be really interested to hear your views and suggestions adamsmith@aecb.net so please get in touch. |
AECB Offers Passivhaus CertificationAECB, the sustainable building association, is now able to offer a Passivhaus Certification service, accredited by the Passivhaus Institut in Darmstadt, Germany Passivhaus is the leading European low energy standard for building construction: the European Parliament is pressing for it to be a requirement for new buildings by 2011. Passivhaus is based on reducing the energy demand of buildings at source, principally by advanced insulation and airtightness methods. AECB is now one of four organisations in Britain and Ireland able to
offer certification to this leading European low energy standard. The AECB also now offers certification of AECB Silver Standard buildings (performance version). More information about building to AECB Silver and Passivhaus Standards can be found at www.aecb.net/carbonlite/energystandards.php. More information about certification, including a sheet of Frequently Asked Questions, is available at www.carbonlite.org.uk/carbonlite/accreditation.php. Questions about building design and certification can be posted on the AECB forum, www.aecb.net/forum, and will receive an individual answer. The AECB CarbonLite programme also delivers training courses in the use of the Passivhaus software (PassivHaus Planning Package or PHPP 2007). You can also buy the PHPP software from us. See www.carbonlite.org.uk/carbonlite/software.php For further information, please call 0845 456 9773 |
THE 10:10 CampaignThe AECB board has signed up to the Guardian / Stupid 10:10 Campaign. The administration of the AECB is very low in terms of CO2 as we have no offices and very few staff. At the moment we don't have any idea what our CO2 emissions are. We have decided to only look at travel in the first place as it would be very difficult to allocate CO2 from people working from home. To this end we are noting all travel by staff and board members over the next 6 months and will base the reduction on this figure. It would be interesting to know if members have signed up to 10:10 and how they are going about monitoring their CO2 outputs. We will also be looking at monitoring the emissions for the annual conference. Please send any news on what you are doing to geoff.biy@homecall.co.uk |
AECB LogoThe AECB has now officially "retired" the older, green and black AECB logo and is now only using the blue logo (as seen at the top of Network). Members are asked to discontinue use of the green and black logo (e.g. when creating stationery, updating their websites, etc). The current logo, with instructions about how to use it, is available for members to download from www.aecb.net/members.php (remember to log in first). |
It's Your Call …AECB have formed a partnership with The Phone Co-op to offer members and supporters a great deal on phone calls, line rental, broadband and now line rental. Like all good relationships, it's a two-way thing. Our members and supporters benefit from The Phone Co-op's low cost services and good levels of service, while we will receive a small regular monthly income from The Phone Co-op which will help us grow and develop. We chose The Phone Co-op as a partner on the strength of our shared values. The Phone Co-op is the only real option for anyone seeking a more ethical and environmentally responsible supplier of telephone calls, broadband and line rental. Owned and democratically controlled by its customers, the co-operative is primarily concerned with giving customers what they want, namely good value, excellent service and a socially responsible, environmentally sustainable approach to business. Their line rental and mobile services are both rated a 'Best Buy' by Ethical Consumer magazine and their broadband service is also recommended. What's more, the co-operative was winner of the Green England Best for Customer Service Award, so you can be confident that you'll receive high standards of service as well as getting an excellent deal on price. To find out more, visit www.thephone.coop/aecb or call them on 0845 458 9040. Quote 'AECB' and our Code 'AF0130' to receive a £10 credit on your first bill. |
AECB Members Wins AwardInnovative designs, coupled with high levels of insulation and renewable energy, will dramatically reduce the need for supplementary heating, resulting in fuel bills that are at least two thirds cheaper than the average home. The winning 3 bed home - which has a wildflower meadow roof and 85% less carbon emissions than a standard new house - is designed by bere:architects of London and the 2 bed home, which utilizes hempcrete, paper and glass for insulation, is designed by HLM Architects, Cardiff. The two houses will be built at The Works, Ebbw Vale - the former steelworks site - and form the nucleus of Future Homes, a demonstration centre for sustainable development and construction. The competition, run by the Welsh Assembly Government and Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council in association with Building Research Establishment (BRE), attracted 26 entries from around the UK and tasked architects with designing a sustainable affordable home featuring innovative measures for energy efficiency and eco excellence. The Welsh Passive House combines the principles of the highly efficient PassivHaus low carbon buildings standards pioneered in Germany and meet the Code for Sustainable Homes in Wales (CSH) level 5 requirements including waste disposal, use of local materials, water efficiency and use of renewable energy features. The designs had to satisfy the CSH Level 5 standard, using local sustainable materials, incorporating innovative solutions for electricity reductions and construction costs. Both winning designs are highly energy efficient, substantially insulated to retain heat, have triple glazed windows, make the maximum use of natural light and sunshine and require only the minimal supplementary heating in winter. Neither timber framed house needs a conventional space heating system but use a heat recovery ventilation system when the warmth is extracted from air within the house to heat incoming fresh air, which is then circulated. Exterior highlights of the bere home include dry stone walling, larch cladding on the upper storey and a wildflower roof. Evacuated glass tube solar panels provide 65% of the hot water throughout the year, which is supplemented by an energy efficient gas boiler. Electricity is supplemented by Photovoltaic panels, sheep's wool is used for interior insulation while retractable external blinds provide shade in summer. The HLM house is fitted with PV roof tiles to supplement electricity, hot water is provided by a wood pellet biomass boiler while rainwater is harvested for gardens and flushing toilets. Movement sensors control all fixed lighting. The HLM design also features dry stone walling and uses innovative local products ranging from cement replacement from Cenin in Bridgend to paper insulation from Excel Technology in the Rhymney Valley. Wales has once again shown bold environmental leadership and it will reap the commercial and employment benefits that will undoubtedly come from creating the first Passivhaus skills base in the UK. I believe that Wales now has the opportunity to become the Passivhaus centre of the UK and our practice, bere:architects, looks forward to helping with this. Full story, click here |
Anne Thorne Architects Appointed To Take Retrofit For The Future ChallengeATA are being funded by the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) to undertake three feasibility & design studies to retrofit existing housing stock prototypes to 'Passivhaus Standard'. The Retrofit for the Future competition is designed to address the challenge laid down by the UK Government's target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the year 2050. ATAP are working on three prototype projects with two housing associations and a Local Authority in different geographical areas; an Edwardian London terraced house retrofit in Haringey, North London with Metropolitan Housing Trust (North), a late C19th terraced house in the potteries area of Hanley, Stoke-On-Trent, with Sanctuary Midlands Group. The third project is a semidetached pair of post war houses in Powys Wales where ATAP are working with local construction company Ecostruct. The houses are to be retrofitted to passive house standard, which will mean minimal heating will be required. This involves high levels of insulation, and careful detailing to deal effectively with cold bridging, and to achieve excellent air tightness. The knowledge gained will be invaluable to inform MHT's rolling programme of refurbishment of street properties, the refurbishment of the Hanley terraces, and the huge post war stock of semidetached social housing. Renewed services included Whole House Heat Recovery Ventilation, and a new Solar Thermal/gas installation for hot water. Careful monitoring of both the retrofit and standard refurbishment properties is planned, in co-operation with residents. For further information please contact Jennie Swain, Anne Thorne Architects Partnership, 7 Temple Yard, Temple Street, London E2 6QD. Tel 020 7729 6168, email jennie@annethornearchitects.co.uk or visit www.annethornearchitects.co.uk |
TeploTie - The Passivhaus Wall Tie!TeploTie, the low conductivity wall tie, is being used in a ground breaking Passiv Haus project. The project in Denby Dale, West Yorkshire, aims to be one of the first certified Passivhaus homes in the UK and the first to be built in the traditional masonry cavity wall style. The walls of the house have a 300mm cavity with dense concrete block inner leaf (for thermal mass inside the house), 300mm of fibreglass insulation batts (three 100mm layers) in the cavity and 100mm of natural stone as the outside leaf. The projects leader; Mr Bill Butcher of the Green Building Company, explains in his "Passivhaus Diaries" on the Building Magazine website that TeploTie was chosen after modelling in the Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP) - the design tool for architects designing to the Passivhaus standards. TeploTie gave a nil reading for heat transference in PHPP and was also seen to remove the possibility of cold spots. In a highly insulated cavity wall Stainless steel ties would have acted as a thermal bridge and would create a cold spot on the plaster in the internal wall with the possibility of condensation forming on the internal plaster. The use of TeploTie was therefore seen to be good building practice and also gave us a nil reading for heat transference in PHPP. Passivhaus is a standard for constructing low energy buildings which have excellent levels of comfort in both winter and summer. Passivhaus is rapidly becoming the worlds leading standard in energy efficient construction with energy saving of 90% compared to existing housing. Indeed the Denby Dale project, a 118m2 three bed detached house is aiming for a space heating load of 15 kWh/m2/annum, compared to a UK average of 150 kWh/m2/annum. Full story at http://www.building.co.uk/section.asp?navcode=3987
TeploTie; the low thermal conductivity wall tie has been awarded British Board of Agrément (BBA) certification. The rigorous testing and approvals process considered all aspects of TeploTie's performance including; structural performance, fire performance, long term durability and also confirmed the crucial low thermal conductivity of the tie. TeploTie is the most intensively tested wall tie ever launched in to the market! TeploTie enables designers to improve the U-value and thermal efficiency of walls by reducing the thermal bridging effect. Go to www.magmatech.co.uk for further details. |
Architecture Award 2010 Passive HouseProject submission by March 1st 2010 The Passive House Institute in Darmstadt is announcing for the first time, within the framework of the annual Passive House Conference, the Architecture Award 2010 Passive House (prize awarding). The prize will be awarded for outstandingly creative building projects which have been realised in accordance with the Passive House standard. Architects/designers can submit their projects by March 1st, 2010. The jury will consider national as well as international building types which have been realised and certified as Passive House. The documents required for submission are available at the Passive House Institute website at www.passivhaus-architekturpreis.de This year's supporting partner are SAENA GmbH - the energy agency for Saxony and Chamber of Architects of Saxony in cooperation with the Chamber of Architects and Town Planners of Hesse. With this architecture award it is intended to distinguish especially well-designed Passive Houses and also their designers. A jury of independent experts will decide on the winner. The jury session will take place on 27.05.2010 in Dresden. At the 14th International Passive House Conference in Dresden from 28th to 29th May 2010, the selected prize winners will be officially announced and awarded in an awards ceremony. The awarded projects will be presented to the public in the Congress Centre Dresden exhibition halls. We are looking for partners who will assist us financially in the implementation of this award. The Passive House Institute and SAENA are funding the award currently. As a sponsor you will have the opportunity to take part in this event. In return the company will be specifically named in the corresponding publications of the Passive House Institute, on posters and on our internet presence. All funding will be used for the architecture award of course, and the greater the funding is, the more media-effectively can we present the event and, with that, you as a sponsor. Go to www.passivhaus-architekturpreis.de. Email mail@passiv.de or phone +49 / (0)6151 / 82699-0. |
Channel 4 Primetime Series Looking For Construction ProfessionalsTwenty Twenty Television are in production on a major international television series that will challenge a group of skilled men and women to rebuild and reconstruct integral parts of the legendary ship Titanic. This new primetime series will explore an extraordinary era in Britain's industrial history and bring to life elements of the truly remarkable task that was the construction of Titanic. Twenty Twenty Television is looking for professionals in the fields of engineering, design, architecture, planning, or construction to form an on-camera construction team. These creative and dynamic individuals should be leading lights in their fields, working on some of the significant building projects of the 21st century. They need not have a background in ship-building, but should be keen to experience how workers 100 years ago achieved amazing feats of engineering with a fraction of today's resources. Filming will begin in early March 2010 and continue for approximately 12 weeks. In each episode our team of experts from modern day industry will face the daunting challenge of rebuilding or reconstructing an integral part of the ship, from its structure to the finer finishing details that made Titanic the pride of Edwardian Britain's manufacturing industry. Using traditional Edwardian techniques, machinery and materials, the team will get a first hand experience of the conditions and challenges Edwardian workers faced. The series will also explore the social history of Edwardian Britain's industrial might, vividly illustrating the achievements of a workforce whose varied skills and painstaking craftsmanship made Titanic not only the biggest, but the most luxurious and opulent man-made object on the planet. To find out more please call Kate Fraser on 020 7424 7721 or email katefraser@twentytwenty.tv. |
Ty Unnos Affordable Housing SystemA consortium led by Coed Cymru and the Welsh School of Architecture have developed a high performance affordable housing solution utilising the properties of UK grown timber. The system comprises a series of portal frames made from Welsh spruce box beams. Secondary ladder beams span between these frames to form floor and ceiling joists and wall studs before pre-insulated infill panels with voids for windows and doors are attached. The design already meets Code 4. The system has won a string of awards including a UK Technology Strategy Board research and development funding award, the Cardiff University 2009 Innovation Prize, the Chartered Institute of Building's International Design and Architecture Award, the Timber Research and Development Association's 75th Anniversary Award and the Interbuild Award for innovation in offsite construction. The Project involves Elements Europe, Coed Cymru, Kenton Jones, Pontrilas Sawmills, Heartwood of Caersws, Pembrokeshire and Wentwood Timber Stores, Corus, NEO Fabrication and Burroughs Cardiff, who have provided engineering support. Ty Unnos has been funded by the Countryside Council for Wales, Wood Knowledge Wales, Environment Agency Wales, Powys County Council and the Technology Strategy Board. The volumetric factory built version of the system has been driven forward by Elements Europe and is now certified by BM TRADA. A 'Self Build' version is in development and is planned to be certified
by 2011. The programme also includes longer span beams to allow the system
to be used in classrooms and light industrial units. A 'Welsh Passivhaus'
based on Ty Unnos is on the drawing board. For more information go to www.coedcymru.org.uk. |
Engineers Say Achieving UK Emission Reduction Targets 'Unlikely'A damning study from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) says that achieving the UK's target of an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050 is unlikely and other approaches will be needed to mitigate climate change. While the report, "Climate Change: have we lost the battle?", applauds the Government's emission reduction targets, it says that to achieve them would require decarbonising at a rate never seen before. Between 2001 and 2006, the UK reduced carbon output per unit of GDP by 1.3% annually. But the rate necessary to achieve the Government's emission reduction targets would have to top 5% annually until 2050. To get the UK on track, says the report, would require the construction and operation of around 30 new nuclear power stations in the next five years and the retiring of a similar amount of coal-fired power generation. The country would have to increase its number if wind turbines more than ten-fold from 2600 to 27,000 by 2030 and a further 13,000 by 2050. Even with unprecedented levels of public investment in low-carbon technologies, the IMechE report maintains that a different approach needs to be pursued. The report calls on the Government to adopt a 'battle plan' that, in addition to continuing its existing emission reduction policies, would pursue strategies to adapt to predicted climate change and undertake major geo-engineering projects to remove CO2 from the atmosphere or reflect solar radiation back into space. Schemes suggested in the report include building 100,000 artificial trees to absorb CO2. The geo-engineering technologies could be gradually reduced over time as the UK transitions to a fully low-carbon economy. Without adopting these kinds of measures, the report says the UK is already losing the climate change mitigation battle. Go to www.imeche.org/about/keythemes/environment/Climate+Change/MAG |
Global CO2 Emissions From Fossil Fuels Up 29% Since 2000Global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels have risen 29% since 2000, according to an international team of researchers. Compared to 1990, the Kyoto Protocol reference year, the rise is 41%. The Global Carbon Project, writing in peer reviewed journal Nature Geoscience, also report a 2% increase in emissions during 2008 despite the economic downturn. However, this is less than the 3.4% average annual rate of increase over the same period. The use of coal as a fuel now exceeds oil for the first time in 40 years and developing countries have overtaken their western counterparts in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the significant increases in human-induced CO2 emissions, the researchers found that the fraction of global CO2 emissions that remained in the atmosphere each year has increased around 5% in the last 50 years, indicating that natural carbon sinks maybe decreasing in efficiency. C. Le Quéré, M. R. Raupach, J. G. Canadell, G. Marland et al. Trends in the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide. Nature Geoscience (published online 17 Nov 2009), doi:10.1038/ngeo689 More information at www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v2/n12/abs/ngeo689.html |
Zero-Carbon Building Fabric Requirement Is In SightThe government has settled on a minimum energy efficiency standard for new homes when the 'zero carbon' regime arrives in 2016 and, if eventually confirmed, they are to be only 20-25% more efficient than current Building Regulations demand for a gas-heated home. Housing minister John Healey revealed his decision in a speech to the UK Green Building Council this week, drawing on the work of the industry task force set up in the summer and co-ordinated by the Zero Carbon Hub. However, the standard that emerged is at or beyond the relaxed end of the energy metrics previously recommended by the Hub and presented at a series of recent workshops. Presented as the domestic Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard, Healey has opted for twin performance standards for the heating and cooling of different house types:
The Zero Carbon Hub, which says its study gave priority to the additional capital costs required to deliver the new standard, estimates that the capital cost increase compared with current construction requirements will be 3-9%, with detached properties at the higher end of the scale. Director David Adams said the task group believed its recommendations to be sufficiently challenging while being achievable with a variety of design approaches. This is just part of the cost of achieving 'zero carbon' compliance, of course, which will require a 70% reduction in emissions from current levels to be met through a combination of energy efficiency and the deployment of renewable and low-energy technologies. While Healey officially 'confirmed' the domestic energy efficiency standard, the figures will shortly be presented once again for industry consultation when draft revisions to the Code for Sustainable Homes emerge. The minister also announced £3.2m of research funding to be used by a consortium - including Barratt Developments, Crest Nicholson, Stewart Milne, H + H Celcon, Oxford Brookes University and the BRE - to build demonstration homes that achieve Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes using energy efficiency measure alone (no contribution from on-site renewables). Further information on the recommendations of the task group for the fabric energy standard are available at the Zero Carbon Hub http://www.zerocarbonhub.org/bui-standard01.php Source: RIBA Practice Bulletin No 522, 26th November 2009 |
The Challenge Of Defining Zero Carbon For Everything ElseThe pursuit of a zero-carbon standard for new dwellings may be entering the home straight, but the race to frame a non-domestic version that must cover everything else is still getting underway. John Healey also chose the UKGBC event this week to launch a consultation on a non-doms standard that seeks to set out some outline principles and policy options. Setting out the target first, Healey said the proposals were for all new public sector buildings to be zero carbon from 2018 and all new commercial buildings from 2019. The 70-page document proposes using the same hierarchical approach as 'zero carbon' housing, that is energy efficiency, then on-site renewable installations, then additional 'allowable solutions'. Also borrowed is the same energy metric of heating/cooling requirement defined as kWh/m2/year. That is just the start, however, as different sectors face quite different pressures and constraints on investment. An aggregated approach is seen as the solution, with a core principle being that non-domestic buildings should achieve differential emissions savings based on a limited number of building types. Accordingly separate emissions reduction scenarios are put forward for generic buildings, such as supermarkets and offices. Recognising that it is not feasible for most non-domestic buildings to pursue net-zero energy use, the consultation also explores various proposals for off-site renewable energy contributions and how they should be weighted - on-site rich versus off-site rich or a balance of the two. The assumption is that developers will have to contribute to off-site measures at community level, such as district heating. Download Zero Carbon for New Non-domestic Buildings: Consultation on Policy Options: www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/newnondomesticconsult - consultation runs until February 2010. Source: RIBA Practice Bulletin No 522, 26th November 2009 |
London Mayor Kickstarts Home Efficiency Makeover SchemeThe Mayor of London Boris Johnson yesterday kickstarted a scheme that will eventually improve the energy efficiency of at least 200,000 homes in the capital by 2012. A series of trials will start this month in nine targeted boroughs to give up to 10,000 homes a low-carbon makeover. The Mayor and the London Development Agency have committed an initial £9.5 million for the effort. Residents in Croydon, Camden, Lewisham, Harrow, Havering, Haringey, Hillingdon, Kingston, and Southwark will be offered a free service of easy measures to improve energy efficiency such as low-energy light bulbs and changing to stand-by switches. More substantial measures such as loft and cavity wall insulation will be subsidised or provided free to residents on benefits. Over the coming years, the programme aims to visit 200,000-500,000 homes by 2012 and 1.2 million homes by 2015. Implementing the simplest energy efficiency measures across the capital will save 350,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, while the more substantial efforts could yield savings of over 1.2 million tonnes. The Mayor has set a target for the capital of cutting its carbon emissions 60% by 2025. Currently, more than a third of these emissions originate from domestic properties. For further information go to www.london.gov.uk/ |
Scotland Targets More Energy Inefficient HomesThe Scottish Government has announced that it is to widen eligibility to its £60 million Energy Assistance Package to target more energy inefficient homes. The scheme will now target homes with a band E energy performance, as well as those in bands F and G, for improved insulation and heating upgrades. Local councils and housing associations will also receive an extra £2.5 million this year to cover loft and cavity wall insulation installations in social housing. The proposals will come before the Scottish Parliament in the next few weeks for approval. For further information go to www.scotland.gov.uk/ |
UK Government Sets Standard For Zero-Carbon HomesThe UK Government yesterday confirmed that by 2016 all new homes will have to be zero carbon, and proposed that public sector buildings should follow suit in 2018 and commercial premises in 2019. Housing and planning minister John Healey announced the standard that new homes will have to reach, which will be based on the amount of energy needed to heat and cool each square meter. For a semi- or detached home this will be 46 kWh/m2 per year or 39 kWh/m2 for all other homes. Meeting such a standard would require doubling current levels of glasswool insulation in walls and increasing loft insulation from 11" to 16". Alternatives could include triple-glazed or non-opening windows. One in three homes in 2050 will be built between now and then, so improving energy efficiency is crucial to meeting emission reduction targets, Healey says. He also announced a £3.2 million research effort that will see a consortium of organisations including Barratt Developments, Crest-Nicholson, BRE and Oxford Brookes University build homes that meet level four of the code through efficiency measures alone. However, the British Property Federation warns that carbon reduction targets will be missed unless existing buildings are tackled as well as new construction. For further information go to www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/newnondomesticconsult |
UK Relaxes Planning Rules On Low-Carbon TechnologiesThe UK Government has unveiled plans to relax planning rules for homeowners, businesses and the public sector wanting to install low-carbon technologies. The proposals published today by Housing and Planning Minister John Healey will mean that technologies like on-site wind turbines, solar panels and air source heat pumps can be installed without planning permission. Local councils will also be able to install electric car charging points on streets and in car parks. Despite removing the need for a planning application, the plans come with strict restrictions on size - only wind turbines less than 15 m in height would be exempt, for example, noise, location and visual impact. If agreed by Parliament after the consultation period, the relaxation in planning regulations will form an important part of the Government's Renewable Energy Strategy. The announcement also echoes Healey's recent call for a 'national crusade' to tackle climate change. For further information go to www.communities.gov.uk/ |
Sunny Future For Leeds Met StudentsLeeds Metropolitan University has unveiled a brand new development of high quality purpose-built student flats, for this year's new intake of freshers. In keeping with its ethical and environmentally sustainable ethos, the six new cluster blocks feature Kingspan Solar's state-of-the-art Thermomax vacuum tubes. These superior performance solar thermal collectors not only generate up to 70 per cent of each building's annual hot water requirements, but also provide Central Heating support. The result is a dramatic reduction to both carbon emissions and energy costs. Carnegie Village is a £26m development situated on Headingley campus, a self-contained student community in the heart of Leeds. The new flats have been fitted with 720 Thermomax solar thermal vacuum tubes, covering 72 square metres of roof and heating two 500-litre cylinders per block. The high-specification student residence development is provided by student accommodation specialist UPP and consists of townhouses on the University's Headingley campus. The scheme includes one of the first 'PassivHaus' in England and will welcome its first students in September. The Carnegie Village comprises of 479 student residential bedrooms including
seven adapted rooms for disabled students. Accommodation is split into
six blocks with a mixture of townhouses for nine to twelve students each,
and cluster flats. Blocks have been named after Yorkshire rivers: Aire,
Calder, Nidd, Swale, Don and Wharfe. The cluster flats include ensuite
facilities, larger bedrooms with double beds, a 24-hour reception area
and will double up as accommodation for conference delegates visiting
the University during the summer months. The site also features CCTV,
secure covered cycle storage, vending and laundry areas. One townhouse block within the Village has been designed and built to 'PassivHaus' standards, which is a landmark project for the education sector. The PassivHaus has an enhanced building envelope to reduce heating levels to the point that a conventional heating system is not required. The PassivHaus benefits from increased levels of thermal insulation, triple-glazing to doors and windows. Heat generated from the occupants, computing equipment and cooking is re-covered when required to keep the building warm. The construction has received BRE (British Research Establishment) PassivHaus design approval and the project is set to inform future government policy with regard to low energy housing. The Carnegie Village will offer all-year-round residential conference facilities to delegates, with the England Rugby Junior Squad being the first guests this month. The high specification of the village has impressed recent visitors including teams from the Paralympics, South African Olympic Delegation and Football Association for the UK 2018 world cup bid. There will be 23 rooms available all year round rising to 370 out of term time. Work commenced on the Carnegie Village in May 2008, with Principal Contractor Shepherd Construction Ltd and Architects GWP. UPP will also provide facilities management services, running the accommodation day-to-day. Full information is at http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/news/index_carnegie_village_open_for_business.htm |
Kent Local Group MeetingMembers and guests invited to Kent Group's first meeting in Canterbury, 19th January 2010, 19:00. To be held at the Farmhouse Pub, Dover Street (behind the cinema), CT1 3HD. (www.thefarmhousecanterbury.co.uk). Serves great local food if you want to eat beforehand. This will be a largely social meeting to instigate networking and discussion, establish what members would like from the group. To be hosted by Mark Saich, Green Building Solutions, and Paul Mallion, Conker Conservation Ltd. Contributions welcome on agenda, can show slides or photos of members projects or short film. Contact paul@conkerconservation.co.uk,
01227 768900. |
Two Year EPSRC Funded Research Assistant Post For The Suregen Project, Cardiff, UKI would like to bring your attention to a two year, EPSRC funded, Research Assistant post, to work on the SURegen project, which is offered by the Ecological Built Environment Research and Enterprise (EBERE) group at UWIC, in Cardiff. The SURegen project is a four year, research project, which commenced in April 2008 and is led by the University of Salford, and which is in collaboration with UWIC and four other academic partners from the UK, in addition to a number of industrial partners. The main focus for the RA will be to contribute to a number of work packages with a focus on residential led urban regeneration projects, in terms of triple bottom line analysis: social, economic and environmental in the UK and potentially overseas. More specifically, the UWIC contribution explores the decisions that influence energy performance analysis, occupant comfort, carbon dioxide minimisation and the triple bottom line more generally, from single and multiple buildings, to the urban scale. The data generated from this analysis will be used to play a part in the development, testing and reviewing and modifying a digital workbench for sustainable urban regeneration. The role holder will be supervised by and given direction from the UWIC Principal Investigator where necessary, who has responsibility for UWIC's contribution. The role holder will participate in working with other SURegen researchers and a number of the industrial partners on case studies, including projects in south Wales and Hackbridge. The ideal candidate will have an undergraduate degree in Building Surveying, or Architectural Technology, or Architectural Engineering, or Technical Architecture, or Building Services Engineering, or Architecture, or Environmental Engineering, AND a Masters in a relevant field such as: Architectural Engineering, or Environmental Architecture, or Building Services Engineering, or Environmental Engineering, or Urban Design. They may also have or be working towards a higher research degree PhD or Professional Doctorate in a relevant field complimentary to the project tasks.
The salary range is £22,126 - £26,391 per annum and the closing date for applications is the 5th January 2010. For more information see 'Research Assistant (Support) SURegen project' at this link: http://www3.uwic.ac.uk/English/AboutUs/JobsAtUWIC/Pages/Support.aspx, application forms can be found here: http://www3.uwic.ac.uk/english/aboutus/jobsatuwic/pages/contactus.aspx Job information pack with job specification can be found by emailing: humanresources@uwic.ac.uk. Dr John R Littlewood, Senior Lecturer, Department of Architectural Studies, Cardiff School of Art & Design, University of Wales Institute Cardiff, Western Avenue, Llandaff Campus, T0.13, Cardiff, CF5 2YB. Tel 029 20 41 66 76 or email: jlittlewood@uwic.ac.uk |
Two Tutor Posts At CATDistance Learning Tutors on the MSc Architecture, Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies, by Distance Learning, at the Graduate School of the Environment, Centre for Alternative Technology. Two new full-time equivalent posts, part time or full time: one with post graduate academic qualifications in Architecture and substantial experience in either HE teaching in architecture or in architectural practice. The other with post graduate qualifications in Structural, Building Services or other relevant engineering, and either HE teaching or substantial professional experience. Salary is in the range £30,318.05 to £34,515.30 pro rata. These are exciting opportunities in one of the UK’s largest, most vibrant Master’s programmes: our students bring a wonderful range of backgrounds and experience, with much enthusiasm and commitment. You will be taking part in teaching, developing, and expanding a unique course which aims to make full use of the Virtual Learning Environment, (VLE) ‘UEL Plus’ [based on the Blackboard’ system]. The ethos of the course, and of the team running it, combines the traditional ethos of high academic standards with that of CAT: respectfulness, openness, solidarity. For details of the course itself, or any other information, please email distance.learning@cat.org.uk. To apply, go to www.cat.org.uk/jobvacancies for an online application form, or download an email attachment application form. Closing date 6 January 2010. |
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