News update - November 2007

A brief synopsis of some of the key news items related to technical guidance, construction practice, and new regulations that you might have missed in the press.

Asbestos removal
ARCA, The Asbestos Removal Contractors Association, has published a new guidance note for asbestos removal in confined spaces.

Buyers ignoring Home Information Packs
Nine out of 10 house buyers are ignoring the Government's Home Information Packs when they are shown properties for sale.
Telegraph Online, 5th November 2007

Construction industry expectations
Overall, orders for the three months to September were down by 2% compared to the same quarter in 2006, but 13% down on the previous three months this year. Decreases were recorded across all sectors, said The Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR). Private housing orders fell 13% over the previous quarter, in line with the general picture, while the outlook for the housebuilders has deteriorated further over recent weeks. Most of the major UK house builders have now issued warnings on future profits and a recent survey used by the industry shows reservations on new homes have fallen by 30%. More surprising was the social housing sector where orders were down 11% on the previous quarter but 21% down on the same quarter in 2006. After the Bank of England’s recent warning that the UK’s commercial property sector is particularly vulnerable to the continuing ‘credit crunch’, fears have been growing over future of ambitious pipeline commercial schemes. The BERR figures, which are already out of date, suggest that things were already beginning to cool by the end of summer – the quarterly figures were unchanged compared to the same quarter a year earlier, but were 18% down on the previous quarter this year. After years of steadily increasing workload, the construction industry has got used to expansion and rising tender prices. Projections that the industry will roar ahead until 2012 are looking increasingly optimistic. On the materials front, futures prices for key raw materials such as timber are already falling on international markets. And the shadow of the credit crunch is expected to hang over the UK economy for many months to come.
RIBA Practice Bulletin, No. 421 8th November 2007

Electronic communication
A consultation paper is out seeking to explain, and canvas views on, proposed amendments to the Building act 1984, Building Regulations 2000 and the Building (approved inspectors etc) regulations 2000. The proposed amendments to these acts are to:

• Enable electronic communication of building control transactions
• Enable the communication of specified transactions without signatures
• Enable the use of electronic signatures on specified transactions which have to be signed.

The amendments are intended to bring the legislation in line with industry practice and expectations and to contribute to reductions in administration burdens. The consultation closes on 7 January 2008 and is accompanied by an impact assessment document. To view the documents, see:

Enabling electronic communication of building control document
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/enablingelectroniccommunications

Impact assessment - enabling electronic communication of building control documents
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/impactassessment

Energy minister opens £60m wood-burning power station
The UK's first power plant - that will burn around 300,000 tonnes of woodchips a year, providing enough energy for 30,000 homes - has opened in Teesside. Around 40% of the chips will come from recycled timber and much of the rest from managed forests in the north-east, saw mills and a specially grown energy crop.
Building Online, 13th November 2007

Exemplar eco-homes fail final build test
Two prototype houses hailed as the future for zero-carbon development have failed to meet the required construction standards. Project sponsor BRE revealed that neither the Sheppard Robson-designed Lighthouse nor the PRP-designed Sigma Home has been signed off almost six months after they were opened by housing minister Yvette Cooper. Unveiled in a blaze of publicity in June as part of the BRE Offsite 2007 expo, the prototypes reached the Code for Sustainable Homes levels 6 and 5 respectively for design standards, but have not found a build quality to match.
BD Online, 9th November 2007

Fire safety in schools
A new guide to help ensure schools are safer and better protected than ever before from the risk of fires has been launched by the Government. Design for fire safety in schools will help school designers and fire safety officers take the right steps to ensure new school buildings give staff and pupils the highest level of protection.
Building Bulleting 100: Design for fire safety in schools is available to view, or hard copies can be ordered from RIBA Bookshops.

Graveyard shift
"Cemeteries should not be considered solely as resting places for the dead, they should be designed with the living in mind, too," Sarah Gaventa, a CABE director, said in a statement. "The great Victorian cemeteries were designed and maintained as beautiful public parks for the enjoyment of all. Every local authority should have them in their green-space strategy and ensure that their full value is realized." CABE, which advises the British government on architecture, urban design and public space, cites the example of the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea, where cemeteries account for half of all green public open space. And a stroll in the graveyard could be decidedly good for you, CABE suggests, since green spaces have always had a strong link to good health. It calls for visitor facilities in cemeteries, improved landscaping and specially designed walks.
ArchNewsNow.com, 2nd November 2007

Logbooks gather dust
A new survey carried out by London South Bank University and Zutec UK (an online building information system provider) found that only half of facilities managers use building logbooks. Its second key finding was that 70% of building services designers and contractors feel that regulatory mechanisms do not ensure logbooks are available in relevant buildings. Although knowledge about the requirement for building logbooks under Part L is widespread among designers and contractors, only 81% of FMs and building owners know that logbooks are required under Part L2 Work in Existing Buildings. More than half of designers and contractors stated that fewer than 25% of their clients stipulate the provision of logbooks when undertaking works. One respondent said: “The content isn’t mandatory from an FM perspective. To comply with Part L it needs to be provided but who is mandated to keep it up to date?”
Building Services Journal, November 2007

Merton Rule revised not scrapped says government
The government will not be scrapping the Merton Rule when it sets out its Planning Policy Statement later this year. In a letter to Samantha George of Merton Council housing and planning minister Yvette Cooper claims that the government’s Building a Greener Future policy “builds on PPS 22”, and that the planning policy statement is ‘more ambitious about local renewable energy, not less’. One of the key changes Cooper outlined in the letter is for the inclusion of off-site generated renewable energy as part of a scheme’s compliance. “We believe [Merton Rules] should be sufficiently flexible to allow for off site as well as on site renewable technologies and councils should also consider wider local low carbon opportunities.
BSJ newsletter, 6th November 2007

Northern Ireland’s PPS 14 redrafted – but not for six months
A controversial planning policy in Northern Ireland will remain for another six months, despite a High Court ruling that judged the Department of Regional Development was acting 'ultra vires'. The policy, which effectively bans any new single dwellings in rural areas, is enshrined in Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 14, and will remain in place while the province's new administration reviews its position. The government has already announced that the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment will take over rural planning policies, and environment minister Arlene Foster has asked for six months to draw up a new draft of PPS 14. According to the province's planning service, more than 4,500 applications for single dwellings were made between March 2006 – when PPS 14 was introduced – and September this year when the High Court ruled against the policy. Since then, a further 1,900 applications have been received. Due to the uncertainty over whether PPS 14 had been quashed or not, Foster has agreed that those who submitted applications between September 7 and October 25 will be offered the opportunity to have their application and fee returned. Foster said: 'I consider it prudent to reissue the policy provisions of draft PPS 14 and to continue to apply them to planning applications received after 16 March 2006 until we have completed our review and developed new policies.'
Architects Journal, 5th November 2007

Part L
A central feature of the new Part L is the virtually compulsory use of the SBEM computer programme for calculating the energy performance of new non-residential buildings. Some experts maintain that it sometimes gives unexpected results, and they do not know why, because the workings have not so far been fully published.
Building Control Journal, November 2007, p.12

Security measures to change building design
Anti-terrorism protection is set to be built into shopping centres and sports stadiums following government measures announced on 14th November. Gordon Brown outlined plans to design in enhanced security features such as protective barriers, reinforced glass and surveillance systems to a whole new range of buildings. Structures included on the Critical National Infrastructure Protection list now include shopping malls, educational facilities, large scale sporting events and postal and shipping facilities as well as airports, energy facilities and defence installations. Security minister Lord West was asked to draw up plans to beef up security in the built environment after attempted bombings in London and Glasgow Airport. Lord West told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he had been working with architects to find out how to include anti-terror features in new buildings and structures.
QS Week, 14th November 2007

Steel still the first choice framing solution
Corus has recently updated its independent cost study, first carried out in 1993. The study, conducted by a team including Davis Langdon, Arup and MACE, considers two typical modern commercial developments. A range of steel, composite and concrete based frame solutions for both buildings were fully designed, costed and programmed with prices current in June 2007. The results of this study show that the steel frame costs £132/m² and the concrete frame £164/m². The cost study is available to view.

Tale of a tile
Five years ago, electricians working for Leeds council started work on rewiring the reading rooms of Leeds Central Library. What started as an ordinary job turned into a kind of treasure hunt cum detective story after they discovered that the room’s 50-year-old plasterboard walls hid an array of 120-year-old tiles: glazed, covered in intricate relief patterns in turquoise and blue, interspersed with bands of burgundy and aubergine. Some had intricate floral mosaics in gold and rose hues. In short, they were a magnificent example of the Victorian era, with all its excesses – and they covered the walls of a 80 × 40ft room.
Specifier, 2nd November 2007

Understanding the issues
The use of timber to form building frames is not a new concept. Most people will be familiar with its use in the domestic property market. However, prior to changes to the Building Regulations in the early 1990s, its use had been limited to buildings up to four storeys. Since those changes were introduced, the provision of medium-rise timber-frame buildings is more commonplace. According to the Timber Frame Association, over half of all new social housing is timber frame.
Building Control Journal, November 2007, pp.14-17

Using recycled fibreboard to make wood plastic composites
WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) has announced the launch of an innovative project to demonstrate whether recycled medium density fibreboard (MDF) can be used in place of virgin wood flour in the manufacture of wood plastic composites (WPCs). The project, being conducted by Scottish based firm Impact Laboratories, will include an extensive test programme to demonstrate whether the WPCs manufactured with recycled MDF are of comparable quality to WPCs currently available in the market. Furthermore, the project will assess whether it is economically and environmentally beneficial to use recycled MDF, which would otherwise be sent to landfill or incineration. If the project can demonstrate that using recycled MDF is commercially attractive compared to virgin wood flour, then the demand for wood plastic composite products could be further stimulated. Impact Laboratories can also apply their polymer expertise to the design of the WPCs. These composites will also incorporate recycled plastics, providing a direct comparison with many WPCs on the market. Existing WPCs can be used in a wide variety of applications such as decking timber, garden furniture and for house cladding panels. The US market for WPCs is already strong and the European market is growing.
AZoBuild.com – Building News, 5th November 2007

Monsters of the deep will create electricity for a new generation
The world's first deep-sea tidal-energy farm will be built off the Welsh coast next year to provide electricity for 5,000 home. Eight underwater turbines, each 25 metres long and 15 metres high, are to be installed on the sea bottom off St David's peninsula in Pembrokeshire, South Wales.
The Times, 5th November 2007

India - taking ‘green’ building to the next level?
A new building project in Mumbai is being billed as one of the greenest buildings in the world. The 27 story Antilla building is being built for Reliance Industries Ltd, India’s largest private sector company. The building will be covered in foliage, with living walls enclosing all four sides, hanging gardens and a green rooftop. Although the Antilla building is being billed as of the greenest buildings in the world, apart from obviously being green on the outside, there is still some debate about the true green credentials of the project. So far the architects of the project have not disclosed whether or not the building will be developed using sustainable materials and practices.
Recycling Supermarket, 6th November 2007

Japan
Construction activity in Japan has plunged following the introduction of a tough new construction law. The number of housing projects started in August and September were down by over 40% compared to last year, according to figures released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The new law was introduced in June and requires a stricter design review by building officials. Previously, qualified architects could sign the approval documents for a building regulation application but now engineers are required to sign under the new law. The law comes in the wake of a scandal involving a Japanese architect who falsified quake resistance data to reduce costs. There was previously no specific professional license for structural engineers in Japan – they first qualify as 'first class registered Architects' and then study further to specialise as structural engineers. "The law affects all consultants who design buildings in Japan. There are very few foreign firms who have staff qualified to sign documents so most collaborate with a local firm," said Arup Europe chairman Philip Dilley. "From what I understand the new law means that a "qualified" engineer must be involved in all projects – this will probably affect the smaller ones more since the larger complex projects would always have an engineer in any event."
NCE Plus, 7th November 2007

Carbon-wise projects
A new online tool that will help construction companies plan carbon-wise projects and reduce their carbon footprint has been launched by the Environment Agency. The spreadsheet-based tool, use of which will be mandatory during the planning stage on all major Environment Agency construction projects from November 2007, is now being made available to other construction companies, government bodies and consultants.

Features of the new tools take into account:

• The carbon emissions potential of the raw materials used
• Direct emissions from personal travel by employees and transportation of raw materials
• Emissions from site activities such as earthworks and excavation
• Comparison of waste management options.

The tool provides a way to find where significant carbon savings can be made during the planning and design process and can be also used to audit the carbon footprint of a completed project. To find out more and download a copy of the carbon footprint tool, go to www.environment-agency.gov.uk.

Part B – Fire safety workshops, November 2007
RICS is running a series of one day workshops to provide practical, detailed and focused training going through worked examples of changes to the new regulations.