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Tendering

Building Research Energy Conservation Support Unit

General Information Leaflet 37 Sports and recreation centres: specifying for energy efficiency in CCT documents - a client/owner's guide, 1996
The introduction of compulsory competitive tendering (CCT) into the management of sports and recreation centres provides an opportunity for increasing the efficiency of energy and water use in these facilities. This Leaflet suggests changes that can be made in CCT contract specifications to ensure that parties are motivated to achieve major improvements in energy efficiency. It also explains how owners and managers can assess existing level of energy efficiency at a centre, and the scope that may exist for improvement. Suggestions are then given on some of the actions that can be taken to achieve this improvement.
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Building Research Establishment

Information Paper 6/06 Balanced Value for sustainable procurement, 2006
Balanced Value is a tool for construction professionals who want to incorporate functional performance and 'triple bottom-line' sustainability (social, environmental and economic) into their decision-making processes. This information paper describes the tool and explains it in the context of case studies and how it can be applied at three levels: entry, intermediate and expert.
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CIRIA

Publication C571 Sustainable construction procurement - a guide to delivering environmentally responsible projects, 2001
Intended to help all those engaged in construction projects to achieve improved environmental and sustainability performance, of both the product and the process of construction. The guide provides an overview of environmental responsibility and sustainability in construction projects and provides a wide range of advice for all those concerned with construction at every stage of a project's life-cycle.
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Publication C627 ENGAGE: How to deliver socially responsible construction - a client's guide, 2004
Explains the concepts of social responsibility and relates this to the construction industry. Describes the construction client and give details for both corporate and project level.
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Department of Trade and Industry

Rethinking construction - 2002, 2002
Rethinking Construction was initiated by the report of the Construction Task Force chaired by Sir John Egan in 1998. The principles are simple: Client leadership, Integrated teams throughout the delivery chain, and Respect for people. Since the publication of the report, the Rethinking Construction agenda has been taken forward through a partnership between government, clients and industry. At the heart of the Rethinking Construction initiative is the Demonstration Projects Programme. This provides the opportunity for leading edge organisations to promote projects that demonstrate innovation and change, which can be measured and evaluated. These are either site-based projects or organisational change projects. This new report looks at: How you can get involved, Working together, How widespread the initiative is across the UK, How good it is for business, The 12 KPIs demonstrated, Who's who in Rethinking Construction, and Making contact with the initiative.
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Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Egan review of skills, 2003
ODPM have commission Sir John Egan to conduct a review of the skills and training that built-environment professionals require to deliver sustainable communities. It will look at skills and training required by developers, professionals and planning authorities and consider how the skills gap can best be bridged. Contributions to the review consultation should be sent by the end of 2003.
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Thatch roofing

English Heritage

Thatch and thatching: a guidance note, 2000
Intended as a guide to the conservation issues relevant to anyone concerned with thatching.
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Thermal insulation

Architects' Journal

AJ Focus Insulation and energy management. AJ Focus 08.2001, 2001
Argues that architects have been slow to get to grips with the implications of Part L [Conservation of Fuel and Power] of the Building Regulations, and investigates the new generation of insulation products that are designed to meet the new stringent U-values outlined in the Regulations.
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AJ Focus Insulation and energy conservation. AJ Focus 03.2000, 2000
Describes the ranges of new materials which are appearing in response to the demand for more energy efficient and environmentally friendly buildings. Also mentions prefabrication of buildings; use of photovoltaics and insulation. Gives details of costs of the materials and manufacturers' data.
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AJ Focus Energy conservation and insulation. AJ Focus 9.96, 1996
Product review and details costs for insulation installation. Lists manufacturers of fabric insulation; pipe duct and tank insulation and acoustics.
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AJ Focus Insulation and energy efficiency. AJ Focus 03.1999, 1999
Examines these two factors which will significantly change the way buildings are designed and fabricated in the 21st century. Looks at various recent projects and products. Gives cost information and lists of manufacturers.
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AJ Focus Energy conservation and insulation. AJ Focus 2.95, 1995
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Architects' Journal Construction Risks and Remedies Thermal insulation: Part 1 the risks. AJ 11.6.86, 1986
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AJ Focus Energy and insulation. AJ Focus 7.87, 1987
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Architects' Journal Construction Risks and Remedies Thermal insulation: Part 2 the remedies. AJ 18.6.86, 1986
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AJ Focus Insulation and energy management. AJ Focus 08.2002, 2002
Looks at the impact of the changes to Part L of the Building Regulations on products associated with energy efficiency, cold bridging, heating, ventilation and cooling. Gives a case study of Plymouth College Innovation Centre, England. Gives cost information for insulation products and their installation.
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British Standards Institution

BS EN 12431:1998 Thermal insulating products for building applications - Determination of thickness for floating floor insulating products, 1998

BS EN 13168:2001 Thermal insulation products for buildings - Factory made wood wool (WW) products - Specification, 2001

BS EN 13171:2001 Thermal insulation products for buildings - Factory made wood fibre (WF) products - Specification, 2001

Building Research Energy Conservation Support Unit

Good Practice Guide 26 Cavity wall insulation in existing housing, 1993
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Fuel Efficiency Booklet 16 Economic thickness of insulation for existing industrial buildings, 1993
This booklet is aimed at building managers and technical staff, and provides a simple method of calculating the economic thickness of insulation added to existing factory buildings for various widely used forms of wall and roof construction.
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Good Practice Guide 183 Minimising thermal bridging when upgrading existing housing: a detailed guide for architects and building designers, 1996
The Guide examines six different forms of construction: solid bricks walls, traditional cavity wall construction, crosswall construction, concrete framed construction, no fines concrete and large panel systems. The Guide concentrates on masonry construction systems because they often result in thermal bridging problems. Thermal bridges are areas of the fabric where, because of the materials used or the geometry of the construction, heat flows are higher than through the rest of the building. This results in a higher energy requirement for the building but, more importantly, the higher heat flow through the thermal bridge leads to lower internal surface temperatures and an increased risk of mould growth. This can have a much greater impact on energy consumption, as attempts are made to cure the mould by raising internal temperatures or increasing ventilation rates. Moulds are a major source of distress for householders and can cause respiratory and other allergies to sensitive people.
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Good Practice Case Study 283 Energy efficiency in existing housing - cavity wall insulation in Northern Ireland housing executive's stock, 1995
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Building Research Establishment

Good Building Guide 68 Part 1 Installing thermal insulation: good site practice, 2006
Gives practical help in the different methods of building insulation into each part of the house. This part encompasses general principles of preventing thermal bridging and air leakage, ground floors, pitched roofs and rooms-in-the-roof.
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Digest 108 Standard U-values, 1984
This Digest provides information which enables U-values for walls and roofs to be calculated on the basis of standard assumptions, in accordance with the CIBSE Guide, Section 3, Thermal properties of building structures. The calculation of heat losses from ground floors is described in IP3/90 and from dwellings in general in Digest 190.
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Information Paper 4/88 BRE low energy office: a longer term perspective, 1988
The BRE low-energy office (LEO) was amongst the first buildings constructed in the United Kingdom with the aim of minimising energy use. In practice the building uses only between one-half to one-third of the energy of earlier designs. Experience of the LEO has an important role to play in future low-energy designs because: i) energy-efficient features associated with the building's design can be fully evaluated because of the very detailed, and long-term, monitoring of the building, combined with extensive on-site expertise; and. ii) the building has already been successfully used to develop and evaluate a number of innovative energy-efficient features. The LEO remains a valuable tool in assessing future design/control strategies.
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Information Paper 2/89 Thermal performance of lightweight inverted warm deck flat roofs, 1989
BRE research indicates that when the inverted warm deck roof is used in conjunction with a lightweight deck, thermal performance during rainfall may fall far enough below theoretical expectations in certain locations to allow risk of condensation in the roof. Further work validates a simple modification to the design which could be incorporated to reduce this risk. These findings will be of value to designers and architects considering the use of the inverted flat roof option.
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Information Paper 3/90 U-value of ground floors: application to building regulations, 1990
A method is given for obtaining the U-value of ground floors from the area and perimeter of the floor. The method is consistent with the procedure given in the CIBSE Guide and is a more flexible alternative, particularly for irregular shapes of floors. A table generated by this method shows the thickness of insulation that has to be applied to the floor to achieve a U-value of 0.45 Watts per square metre per Kelvin.
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Information Paper 7/92 Assessing programs which predict the thermal performance of buildings, 1992
Computer programs which predict the thermal performance of buildings are now in widespread use. Before they can be applied with confidence their operation must be tested and their accuracy determined. This paper discusses some of the problems inherent in such model validation, outlines sources of error within simulation programs, and describes the techniques which the validator can use to detect errors.
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Information Paper 7/93 U-value of solid ground floors with edge insulation, 1993
A method is given for determining the U-value of solid ground floors incorporating insulation at the edge. It can be used to assess the compliance of ground floors with the thermal requirements of the Building Regulations. This paper will be of interest to people concerned with improving energy efficiency in buildings.
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Information Paper 13/94 Passive stack ventilation systems: design and installation, 1994
Passive stack ventilation is a means of removing unwanted moisture from dwellings. The proper design and installation of these systems is vital to their successful performance. This paper gives detailed guidance on this subject and is in support of the 1995 edition of the Approved Document to Part F of the Building Regulations.
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Information Paper 14/94 U-values for basements, 1994
This paper gives data for determining the insulation needed to achieve U-values of 0.45 Watts per square metre per Kelvin for basements, as currently required by the Elemental Method of satisfying the Building Regulations. It also gives information on basement U-values which can be used either for the Target U-value Method in the Regulations, or for calculating heat losses in more general terms. The paper supports the 1995 edition of the Building Regulations, and will be of interest to all those concerned with improving energy efficiency in buildings.
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Information Paper 6/01 Modelling the performance of thermal mass, 2001
This Information Paper considers the effect. on acoustics and lighting of the introduction of exposed ceilings. It also gives designers best practice guidelines to be used when modelling thermal mass performance. The associated two-part BRE Digest 454 gives guidance on the incorporation of thermal mass into office buildings.
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Good Repair Guide 26 Part 1 Improving energy efficiency: Part 1 - thermal insulation, 1999
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Report 262 Thermal insulation: avoiding risks. 3rd edition, 2002
Explains the technical risks which may be associated with meeting the building regulation requirements for thermal insulation for the major elements of the building. For Roofs and Floors, there are further sub-divisions within each element. Concentrates on loadbearing masonry, timber frame constructions and profiled sheet cladding. Illustrations show construction principles and good practice. This updated edition contains a number of revisions resulting from developments in research, changes in. materials, construction techniques and the building regulations.
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Report 347 Energy efficient in situ concrete housing using EPS permanent formwork, 1998
The provision of insulation in strategic locations and other measures to limit rapid internal temperature fluctuations through loss of heat are now well established. This report investigates the methods of housing construction which involve the use of EPS insulating formwork systems.
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Building Services Research and Information Association

Technical Note TN 9/2002 Thermal imaging of building fabric: a best practice guide for continuous insulation, 2002
Written to help building owners, designers, surveyors and contractors to assess the thermal performance of building envelopes by using infrared thermographic techniques. Covers: Basic infrared theory, Infrared technology, Building fabric insulation, Air leakage, What the regulations say, The survey process, Checklists for environmental conditions and data acquisition, and Bibliography.
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Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions

Limiting thermal bridging and air leakage: Robust construction details for dwellings and similar buildings, 2001
This first edition of Robust Details has been prepared to assist the construction industry in achieving the performance standards published in the Building regulations approved document L (2002 edition). They are intended to reduce risks and potential problems that can arise as a result of building to higher energy efficiency standards
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Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Building Research Technical Report 3/2005 Low or zero carbon energy sources - report 4: final report, 2005
Presents research into low or zero carbon (LCZ) energy sources. Provides: A proposal for the way in which low and zero carbon energy sources could be referenced/included in Approved Document L; a confirmation of the LZC energy sources to be considered under the building regulations; a review of the potential for different LZC energy supplies to contribute towards carbon emissions reduction; a review of the cost effectiveness of different LZC energy sources; a proposal for 'reasonable provision' clauses for certain LZC energy sources and associated technologies; and a proposal for measures to prepare buildings for the future introduction of LZC technologies to make them 'renewable ready'.
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Timber/joinery

British Woodworking Federation

Hardwood at work: guide for specifiers, 1985
This brochure has been produced to guide specifiers in selecting the most suitable hardwood for the job.
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Building Research Establishment

Good Repair Guide 12 Wood rot: assessing and treating decay, 1997
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Information Paper 14/01 Durability of timber in ground contact, 2001
This paper reports recent findings from a programme of testing at BRE to benchmark the performance of timber in ground contact. It concludes that most of the new hardwood species becoming available in the UK are of limited durability. It recognises, though, that treatment can extend the service life of many softwood species. This paper complements IP 6/99, IP 2/01 and Digest 429.
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Information Paper 9/03 Best practice of timber waste management, 2003
Presents the practical issues that affect timber waste in UK construction. Describes timber sources, composition, use and waste, and markets for recycling and disposal together with the plant and machinery necessary to exploit this resource. It proposes a timber waste classification. The various types of equipment for processing waste timber are listed; legislation covering the disposal of waste timber is briefly mentioned. This material is then drawn together to provide the best practicable environmental option for timber waste, and a model is tested to provide two examples of what could be achieved.
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Information Paper 10/05 Green gluing of timber: a feasibility study, 2005
Reports on the technical and commercial feasibility of creating a green gluing enterprise in the Greenwood Community Forest in the East Midlands. Results from the study strongly indicate that this enterprise would be commercially viable. The steps required for its implementation are outlined in this Information Paper.
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Report 241 Strength properties of timber. 3rd edition, 1983
This report describes testing procedures and presents the results of physical and mechanical tests on 223 hardwoods and softwoods in the green (unseasoned) and dry (seasoned) conditions.
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Report 311 Biological durability of timber in ground contact, 1996
When timber becomes wet it is liable to attack by wood-destroying fungi which eventually can cause the wood to rot. This condition arises when timber is used in damp or wet environments, such as in contact with the ground, or is exposed to rainfall or condensation. This report is concerned with the on-going, long-term BRE ground contact field trials where stakes of different wood species are half-buried in the ground. To simplify the terminology in this report, 'biological natural durability' will be used to refer to the resistance of a timber to attack by wood-destroying fungi in ground contact. The report presents and reviews the results and considers different ways of analysing the data for use in specifying timber performance.
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Report 323 Timber in construction: challenges for the future, 1997
Proceedings of the BRE 75th anniversary seminar, in collaboration with TRADA Technology Ltd. Topics covered: Prospects for timber in construction and Timber - the natural choice.
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Digest 417 Hardwoods for construction and joinery: current and future sources of supply, 1996
This digest describes the significant changes occurring in the supply of hardwood timber in the UK, particularly in the types of wood and relative amounts imported from tropical regions. It discusses the importance of identifying sustainable and well-managed sources and the difficulties of defining sustainability. It suggests that greater use can be made of lesser-known or lesser-used species, and of material from plantations, provided adequate data are obtained on their relevant properties. This digest lists 16 timbers that are expected to be of increasing significance in the near future. BRE is evaluating the properties of many of them.
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Digest 429 Timbers: their natural durability and resistance to preservative treatment, 1998
Timber exposed to moisture for any length of time is at risk from attack by wood-rotting fungi. To obtain a good service life, it is important to select a timber species that is either naturally durable or amenable to preservative treatment. This digest explains the classification of durability and treatability for timber, and classifies these properties for over 150 species.
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Digest 431 Part 1 Hardwoods for joinery and construction: technical assessment methods, 1998
Digest 417 lists 16 lesser-known species of timber that show potential for new or wider application in construction. This set of Digests give the results of tests carried out on each of these species. This first part describes the technical assessment methods used.
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Digest 431 Part 2 Hardwoods for joinery and construction: test results and recommendations, 1998
Digest 417 lists 16 lesser-known species of timber that show potential for new or wider application in construction. This set of Digests give the results of tests carried out on each of these species. This second part gives the results and recommendations for bintangor, hevea, kamarare, niove, taun and Ghanaian plantation teak.
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Digest 431 Part 3 Hardwoods for joinery and construction: test results and recommendations, 1998
Digest 417 lists 16 lesser-known species of timber that show potential for new or wider application in construction. This set of Digests give the results of tests carried out on each of these species. This third part gives results and recommendation for andiroba, dahoma, gmelina, American red oak, Tanzanian plantation teak, and vitex.
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English Heritage

Practical building conservation. Volume 5: Wood, glass and resins, 1988
The sections on wood analyse the problems of fungi, insects and timber distortion and explore the use of substitute materials and finishes for external surfaces. Techniques for conservation of historic glass include an evaluation of cleaning methods, treatment of paint loss and how to protect glass from vandalism, breakage and the problems of variable climatic conditions.
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Waterlogged wood - guidelines on the recording, sampling, conservation, and curation of waterlogged wood, 1995
This document aims to set out some general guidelines on national recording policies, site sampling and conservation strategies, planning and running of projects involving waterlogged wood and any special considerations that should be taken into account when formulating and implementing such policies.
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TRADA Technology

Green oak in construction, 2006
Green Oak in Construction is a highly illustrated technical guide to the use of green oak in the building of modern structures and showing how to achieve excellence in practice. Its key features are: eleven case studies demonstrating best practice and inspirational design; comprehensive text - specifiying information, design data and grading rules, compiled by an expert author team; and, numerous colour photographs and diagrams.
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Timber in construction, 1985
This book has been prepared by the Timber Research and Development Association as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations. There has long been a need for an authoritative reference book on the use of timbers in construction for architects and specifiers and for students in these fields. This book, with each chapter written by a specialist in the subject, is intended to fill that gap.
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Timber pole construction: an introduction. 2nd edition, 2000
This document gives a general introduction to timber poles as a construction material, and covers the processes of harvesting and protecting the poles through to specific applications in the construction of domestic and industrial buildings.
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