News update - March 2008

New homes to be 'future-proofed' – see Shortcut 58
Ministers at the Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG) say that in light of the country's ageing population, all new homes built in England should be 'future proofed' to include 16 recommended features, including downstairs bathrooms and stairs wide enough to accommodate stair lifts. The measures, known as the Lifetime Homes Standard, will be applied to all new social housing built from 2011 and to all new homes from 2013.
(BD Online, 25 February 2008)

BRE Global and the UK Green Building Council have announced that they will work together to further develop and promote BREEAM.
BRE Global and UK-GBC will work together to:

• Accelerate and broaden the take up of BREEAM tools throughout the industry
• Make BREEAM tools increasingly more challenging as fast as the market will bear
• Capture and benchmark best practice and disseminate that learning
• Facilitate benchmarking of leading measurement systems internationally, working proactively with other green building councils and the World Green Building Council
• Facilitate mutual recognition by leading measurement systems, cross-licensing and collaborative development of new tools and techniques for enhancing the sustainability of the built environment.

azobuild.com, 26 February 2008

Code for Sustainable Homes – see Shortcut 44
All new homes will be measured against the Code for Sustainable Homes from May 1st, the government has announced. The introduction of the decision to rate homes on their green credentials was made by Housing Minister Caroline Flint at the EcoBuild conference in London’s Earls Court.
Contract Journal Online, 27 February 2008

Energy service companies
Honeywell and Dalkia have won the first contracts to give public sector buildings in London a £10m green makeover. The contracts are the first of a major programme to cut carbon emissions across offices, transport buildings, police stations, hospitals and schools.
Financial Times, 28 February 2008

Landscape architects take note
The lamp posts of Brick Lane in London's trendy Hoxton have been padded after the street was branded an accident black spot for drunken texters. According to the Evening Standard, a survey found that 68,000 injuries were incurred in London last year through pedestrians bumping in to street furniture while texting; and Brick Lane is the worst culprit, due to a very high concentration of lamp posts, signs and bins, and the number of drinking establishments. Brick Lane has now been made the UK's first 'Safe Text' street, with brightly coloured padding wrapped around lamp posts to try and prevent 'walk-and-text' injuries. If successful, the idea will be rolled out to other London streets such as Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road. The survey, carried out by text information service 118.com, showed that 44% of mobile users were in favour of the scheme, hoping it would save them from 'injury and mild embarrassment'.
AJ Online, 5 March 2008

Living roofs and walls technical report
Alumasc, the Mayor of London and Design for London have launched a technical report promoting living roofs and walls at this year’s Ecobuild at Earl’s Court. To view the London Plan's new Living Roofs and Walls policy visit http://www.london.gov.uk/thelondonplan/policies/4a-11.jsp.
The technical report can be downloaded from http://www.london.gov.uk/gla/publications/environment/livingroofs.pdf.

New Welsh construction system
A radical new building system which could change the face of construction across Wales and mean cheaper, sustainable homes built using Welsh timber was launched at the Greener Homes Show. Ty Unnos is the first of a string of new developments from Wood Knowledge Wales, the newly set up industry group committed to adding value to the Welsh timber market. The new system, developed by a partnership including Coed Cymru, Bangor University, and the Welsh School of Architecture with support from Cowley Timber Engineering, uses standard size, locally produced timber to create hollow beams which are simply bolted together to create modular buildings. The process will be on show to the public at Builth Wells with a full scale section of the build which is currently being completed with funding from Robinwood, a Forestry Commission Wales European project which also aims to identify new ways of increasing the value of timber. The 2.4 metre square structure will be built using Welsh softwood.
Timber Building News Online, 5 March 2008

Renewable energy grant programme
The Government will announce a revamped version of its renewable energy grant programme in its budget. John Moriarty of the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) said it would develop a new micro-generation strategy, which could include a tariff to boost the take-up of solar panels and wind turbines. The Renewable Energy Association has called for a £1bn fund from which people could get up to £10,000 interest-free to fit a renewable system.
The Guardian, 28 February 2008

Scotland’s first eco-town
Detailed plans for what could be the first eco-town in Scotland have been unveiled. Planners are hoping to regenerate four former mining villages on a 485ha site at Cardenden in Fife. The proposed scheme would see the construction of 5,000 wooden eco-homes, of which 1,000 would be affordable, to be built over the next 20 years.
The Scotsman, 3 March 2008

Contaminated land cleaned with whisky waste
A group of researchers at the University of Aberdeen have announced that they have pioneered an innovative new way of cleaning contaminated ground and waste water using a by-product from Glenfiddich's Speyside distillery. The Device for the Remediation and Attenuation of Multiple pollutants, or DRAM, is capable of removing a number of different pollutants from the ground at the same time, making clean-up operations quicker and more cost effective. One of the researchers behind the device, Dr Graeme Paton, said that the process could also utilise other by-products from the food and beverage industry.
Business Green Online, 5 March 2008

Scottish heritage body to be scrapped
Following the news that no new heritage protection legislation is to be brought forward in Scotland, the independent Historic Environment Advisory Council for Scotland (HEACS) is to be abolished.
Green Places, March 2008, p.4

Solar panels for London City Hall
The solar panels on the roof of London's City Hall have been officially unveiled. City Hall now has a unique photovoltaic system designed to complement the rounded shape of one of London's most iconic buildings. The photovoltaic panels have a peak capacity of 67kW and are expected to generate about 50,000kWh of renewable electricity, saving up to 33 tonnes of carbon dioxide, each year. The complex geometry of the roof required an innovative design solution. Normal photovoltaic panels are rectangular and aluminium framed whereas City Hall’s panels are made-to-measure trapezoidal (four-sided shape of which two sides are parallel and two are nonparallel), bare unframed glass in black. This allowed the 617 panels to be arranged in concentric circles around the roof in order to maintain and enhance the aesthetic integrity of the building. To develop the glass-glass laminate array for the ‘eyelash’ all 46 photovoltaic panels were of different size and cell layout to adjust to the curved design of the building and changing pitch. The array includes some of the largest glass-glass laminated photovoltaic panels manufactured in the UK to date.
azobuild.com, 25 February 2008

London assembly member Damian Hockney, member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, accused Ken Livingstone of wasting more than half a million pounds on the solar panel project that the London Development Agency admitted will generate electricity worth less than £4,000 per year.
This is Local London, 25 February 2008

RuralZED home launched at EcoBuild
A house hoped to be the first commercially viable carbon neutral home has been unveiled at the EcoBuild exhibition in London. Designed by a consortium known as ruralZED, the house has been awarded code six status, which is the highest level of sustainability for a new home. The ruralZED consortium comprises architects and materials companies including Charcon, Hansgrohe, mi-space, Rationel, Rockwool and ZEDfactory. The ruralZED house is made from durable laminated timber frame and costs from £1,150 per square metre based on the purchase of six units.
Contract Journal Online, 27 February 2008

Don’t fall prey to wildlife legislation
Last year saw significant changes to the Habitats Regulations, which deal with the protection of certain types of animals. European protected species (EPS) most commonly encountered on construction projects include bats, otters, dormice and great crested newts. It remains an offence to damage or destroy the 'breeding site' or 'resting place' of an EPS and the contractor could be prosecuted even if damage occurs accidentally. The offence stands if the site or place is not in use by the species but there is a high probability it will return. For example, breeding ponds are used by great crested newts only during the spring and summer, but are protected by the legislation throughout the year. Helpful new guidance from the EU Commission however, suggests that sites or places used only occasionally for breeding or resting are likely to be exempt. For example, if a tree is used only occasionally as a roost site by bats, it is very likely that this would qualify as a breeding site. The changes mean that when disturbance can be said to be 'low level', an offence is unlikely under the Habitats Regulations. But such disturbance may remain an offence under The Wildlife & Countryside Act. When it is reasonably likely that an EPS offence will occur, a license must be obtained after planning permission has been granted and before construction work starts. It is no longer possible to proceed without a license and rely on the defence that the activity is "the incidental result of an otherwise lawful operation". Licenses used to be obtained by the consultant ecologist, but the changes mean they must now be acquired by the person responsible for the construction project. A 'method statement' will accompany the application and this would normally be drafted by the consultant ecologist. Complying with all license conditions is the responsibility of the licensee.
CNplus.co.uk, 19 February 2008

JCT adds simpler contract signing
An update has been issued by JCT (Joint Contracts Tribunal), introducing new forms for execution as a Deed and guidance notes to replace the existing form within JCT contracts. The new forms facilitate an additional method for execution. The attestation update, which comes as a result of the Companies Act 2006 (section 44(2)(b)), provides for a third method of execution as a Deed, allowing a signature by a single director, suitably witnessed, to suffice. The new provision of the Companies Act 2006 takes effect from April 1, 2008.
JCT Press Release, 25 February 2008

Carbon dioxide sponge invented
UCLA scientists have synthesized a new class of sponge-like crystals that can soak up carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas in industrial emissions. The crystals, zeolitic imidazolate frameworks or ZIFs, are grids of metal atoms and organic molecules that loosely trap carbon dioxide as it drifts into microscopic pores. The researchers believe that atomic charges hold the gas in place. One variety, ZIF-69, is so absorbent that a single litre of the material can hold 83 litres of carbon dioxide, according to a study published in the journal Science. The crystals could be tailored to capture carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, factories and other industrial sources. The idea is to line the insides of smokestacks with a layer of ZIF; carbon dioxide that enters the pores could be sucked out periodically and sequestered underground. The material could also be used to line vehicle exhaust systems. When drivers fill their gas tanks, they could also have the carbon dioxide removed. The leading method relies on a chemical reaction to trap carbon dioxide in a toxic liquid; a process deemed too expensive to implement on a commercial scale. The U.S. Department of Energy has estimated that retrofitting a power plant with such a system would at least double the cost of generating electricity.
RIBA World, 19 February 2008

Environment Code
This week, CBI Director of Business Environment Michael Roberts set out the importance of monitoring energy use in buildings at the launch of the Investment Property Databank's Environment Code, a new standard for measuring the environmental performance of corporate buildings. Through the use of common terminology, the Code enables property executives to compare the environmental performance of buildings anywhere in the world. It is applicable to a broad range of property types from retail shops and offices to hospitals, universities, hotels and airports. For more information go to http://www.ipdoccupiers.com/Default.aspx?TabId=1632.

Eurocode 2 designs for buildings
The Concrete Centre says the DCLG has already advised one local authority there is no reason not to accept designs to Eurocodes provided they use some engineering judgement applied to the application of wind loads. All necessary supporting documents for using Eurocode 2 to design concrete buildings are now in place apart from the national annex to Eurocode 1 part 1-4 on wind loading. Furthermore, the BSI committees responsible for BS 8110 have stated that they will no longer support updates of BS 8110 from the end of next month (31 March 2008). ‘In BSI language this constitutes withdrawal of BS 8110,’ says The Concrete Centre on its Eurocode2.info website. The DCLG apparently intends writing a letter to all building control authorities clarifying the status of the Eurocodes in respect of demonstrating compliance with the UK Building Regulations once the wind loading national annex is published in March 2008. However, due to a legal technicality, the approved document part A of the regulations is unlikely to explicitly include Eurocodes until 2010. For more information email helpline@concretecentre.com or visit http://www.eurocode2.info/main.asp?page=1277.

Eurocode transition
The British Standards Institution (BSI) has contracted The Steel Construction Institute (SCI) to find out what designers actually need in making the switch to Eurocodes. SCI and BSI are planning a number of user workshops; one at BSI in Chiswick, west London, and others remotely using online collaboration tools. The sessions will look at how the Eurocodes work, and assess what designers think should be done to help. Prototype materials will then be produced and validated using electronic meetings. Designers taking part in the workshops will be issued with free copies of the general parts of Eurocodes 2 and 3 for concrete and steel respectively, worth a total of £368. They will also be among the first to receive SCI’s new Burgundy Book, with Eurocode-compliant load-span tables for steel sections. For more information email j.moran@steel-sci.com or visit http://www.steel-sci.org/Information/Eurocodes.htm.

Polymer solar cells used to convert sunlight to electricity are degraded by ultraviolet light, which limits their lifespan. A materials scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, US, has a simple solution. He suggests coating the solar cell with a material that converts ultraviolet photons into ones of visible light. The new 'photon conversion material' (PCM) converts harmful UV into longer wavelengths, enhancing efficiency of solar-energy conversion and reducing damage to cells. This should help the solar cells last longer, as well as increase their electrical yield. The PCM could be made of a liquid, a gel, nanoparticles or a solid, according to the researchers.
NewScientist.com news service, 25 February 2008

United States of America
The big news out of America last week was the announcement of the new national green home rating system from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), representing more than 230,000 U.S. housebuilding companies. In making the announcement, NAHB officials called the program “voluntary, market-driven, flexible and affordable" and stressed that the certification paperwork would cost less than $500 per home. The NAHB National Green Building Program, an education, verification and certification program, allows builders anywhere in the U.S. to certify a green home to bronze, silver or gold levels, using third-party verifiers furnished by the NAHB Research Center. The new code, The NAHB rating system, features an online scoring tool, which shows builders how to accumulate points in seven categories:

• Water, energy and resource efficiency
• Lot and site development
• Indoor environmental quality
• Global impact and homeowner education.

To be eligible for certification, the NAHB program requires a builder to achieve a minimum score in each category.
Building Online, 22 February 2008

Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP)
WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) has launched a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) template to help the construction industry comply with legislation coming into force in April, which will make SWMPs a mandatory requirement on all aspects of construction work worth more than £300,000. The template, which supports standard, good and best practice in general construction, housing and civil engineering projects, has been developed with Halcrow, Costain, C4S, the NHBC Foundation and the BRE to support the industry in developing their plans. The template comprises a series of 14 steps, which follow the construction lifecycle from pre-design to project completion and review. Using the template will enable contractors to develop key performance indicators (KPIs) for waste and materials, and monitor performance throughout the project. Importantly, the template can be used to demonstrate good and best practice performance beyond simple standard compliance with the regulations. The template and supporting guidance are available free of charge from http://www.wrap.org.uk/construction. Visitors will also find in-depth guides to waste minimisation and management, a step-by-step guide to materials resource efficiency in regeneration projects and a selection of case studies demonstrating good and best practice to achieve outstanding waste reduction.
Azobuild.com, 26 February 2008

3D sidewalk drawings
Some wonderful sidewalk drawings; they really look like part of the street environment!
http://www.moillusions.com/2006/03/more-3d-sidewalk-drawings.html