Sustainability
Sustainability news
UK’s first light-weight solar panels open up markets
Carillion becomes first in UK to install lighter form of solar panels that could be used for a wide range of roofs
Gove has 'ulterior motive' for scrapping BREEAM
Move to scrap green standards for schools driven by the free schools agenda, public procurement chief says
Call to raise green standards of Olympic legacy housing
New Mayoral Development Corporation told current plans will fail to be beacon for sustainability
Green schools row heats up
Previous government’s green schools adviser voices concern over move to drop BREEAM standard
Part L changes will fail to boost Green Deal
Industry says loopholes in regulations will enable homeowners to avoid energy improvements
Government relaxes carbon targets for new homes
Limiting carbon reduction target on new homes to 8% rather than 25% will lower costs for housebuilders, ministers say
Government to take FITs battle to Supreme Court
Move comes after Court of Appeal ruled against the government today
Green regulations
The better homes lab
Designing energy-efficient homes is the easy bit - making sure the dwelling performs as expected is more tricky. That’s why forward-thinking housebuilders are embarking on some serious research. Alex Smith verifies the results
Sustainable buildings
Sustainable supermarket: M&S's new Cheshire Oaks store
At this enormous store in Chester, M&S is putting its Plan A sustainability programme to the test. And from the zero-waste policy to the innovative use of natural materials, all the evidence suggests that this is one plan A that is actually working … Building reports
Green gurus
Eco-towns: Back to the garden city
Strategically planned large-scale development is back on the government agenda, but this time it’s less eco-town, more leafy suburb. Building reports
Closing the energy performance gap
The government’s proposal to accredit housebuilders as part of its Part L consultation should raise standards
Energy Act, Green Deal and EPCs: Key legal points to remember
From April 2012 new regulations relating to the energy performance of buildings come into play, ahead of the roll-out of the Green Deal in October
The Green Deal: Sustainability suspended
The government’s half-hearted approach to the Green Construction Board and now the Green Deal suggests a worrying lack of commitment to the eco agenda, says Richard Steer
The Green Deal: We're not getting insulation pre-assessments right
Insulation pre-assessments are key to the success of the Green Deal - but most are being carried out using completely the wrong method, warns sustainable building expert Neil May
Ecobuild
David Strong: 'The Green Deal won't just be for insulation"
The former managing director of BRE Environment on the rise of Ecobuild and how the government will push the green agenda
Passivhaus at Ecobuild: separating the hits from the hype
The voice behind our original Passivhaus Diary picks out his 2011 exhibition highlights
Passivhaus
BRE to launch Passivhaus design competition
Winning design for semi-detached homes will be built at the BRE’s Innovation Park
Incentives key for Passivhaus in UK
Market forces alone won’t raise standards says consultant behind the Passivhaus Diary
Largest ever Passivhaus scheme kicks off green conference
Mark Elton reports on his experiences from the 15th International Passivhaus conference in Innsbruck, Austria, but first, a trip to the biggest Passivhaus development yet
Has cavity wall got a future in low energy building projects?
One year on from the completion of the UK’s first cavity wall, the International Passivhaus conference takes place this Saturday (28 May 2011) in Innsbuck. Green Building Store’s Bill Butcher, project leader on the Denby Dale Passivhaus, will be speaking on the subject ’Passivhaus and cavity wall construction’. Here he looks at how cavity wall is playing a role in other low energy projects in the UK and ponders the future of the cavity wall in sustainable construction.
Sustainability costs
Sustainability: Building structures
In-use energy consumption is well regulated, so should we now consider embodied carbon? Isabel McAllister and Anthony Mitchell of Cyril Sweett, Steve Webb and Anna Beckett of Webb Yates report
Passivhaus refurb
Passivhaus diaries: Keeping it all in
It’s taken longer than expected to turn a leaky Edwardian house into an exemplar of energy efficiency. Now it’s finished project architect reports on the exterior insulation, finishing off and how the house is performing
Passivhaus diary
Passivhaus diaries: Life at Denby Dale
Living in the Denby Dale Passivhaus still feels like something of a physics lesson to owners Geoff and Kate Tunstall (but in a good way). Here they give an update on how they have found their first summer and autumn in the house and their thoughts as they head into winter
