Sustainability Focus – Page 9

  • Pricewaterhouse Coopers More London HQ achieved BREEAM Excellent
    Features

    Energy-efficient buildings – too clever by half?

    2012-03-16T00:00:00Z

    A survey for Building’s Sustainability White Paper suggests that occupants find new buildings only marginally more efficient than older ones. Are their elaborate energy-slashing systems just too complicated to operate?

  • Rising Stars
    Features

    Top 50 rising stars of sustainability

    2012-03-15T13:37:00Z

    We meet the construction industry’s green trailblazers

  • Breeam
    Features

    The University of Bradford: The stuff of BREEAM

    2012-02-15T13:00:00Z

    For a university to have one building with an unprecedented 95% BREEAM score is impressive, but to have two suggests it really knows what it is doing. Building examined Bradford’s Sustainability and Enterprise Centre to find out its secret

  • news analysis
    Features

    30 things you might not know about Part L

    2012-02-10T00:00:00Z

    The latest consultation on the energy regulation has already been attacked from all sides, but with the first changes set to come into force in October, housebuilders can’t afford to ignore it. Vern Pitt lays it all out on the lawn

  • Marks and Spencer
    Features

    Sustainable supermarket: M&S's new Cheshire Oaks store

    2012-02-03T00:00:00Z

    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

  • bleak housing
    Features

    Is the Green Deal heading for failure?

    2012-01-13T00:00:00Z

    The Green Deal is supposed to be the biggest domestic refurbishment programme since the Second World War. But the government’s own figures predict it will be anything but. Joey Gardiner asks if the coalition’s flagship policy could be heading for failure

  • News Analysis
    Features

    Carillion's purchase of Eaga: Blinded by the sun

    2011-12-09T00:00:00Z

    In April, Carillion bought Eaga - a company with big plans to install PV panels on 30,000 homes - and rebranded it as Carillion Energy Services. Seven months later, government feed-in tariffs have been cut in half, and all 4,500 jobs are on the line. So was the £298m purchase ...

  • Eco Homes Old Apple Store
    Features

    A lot to live up to: Building houses that meet predicted energy use

    2011-12-09T00:00:00Z

    The gap between a house’s predicted energy use and actual performance has been comprehensively panned. Building meets three developers who reckon their projects will show that low carbon on paper can mean low carbon in practice

  • Hydropower
    Features

    Hydropower: Water works

    2011-12-02T00:00:00Z

    With all the controversy over solar, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that hydropower produces a thousand times more electricity. Building investigates a power source that could light up the industry

  • Fancy a fourth layer?
    Features

    Quadruple glazing: Fancy a fourth layer?

    2011-11-25T00:00:00Z

    It’s winter and our thoughts turn to keeping warm by any means necessary. Is quadruple glazing the solution? Thomas Lane peeks out from behind his curtains to ask the experts

  • Specifier opener
    Features

    Zero carbon housing using underfloor thermal heat stores

    2011-10-14T00:00:00Z

    When you’ve got houses and flats on a tiny plot, no room to store fuel and little roof space, finding a zero-carbon heating solution is tricky. One team went underground to find the answer

  • econom
    Features

    Sustainability: Building structures

    2011-10-07T00:00:00Z

    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

  • News analysis
    Features

    Party conference season: Rate my policy

    2011-09-16T00:00:00Z

    Party conference season is upon us and this year the agenda is more relevant to construction than ever. Building looks at the likely policies to emerge and invites you to keep tally of their impact on the industry

  • spec
    Features

    Triple glazing: Clear technology

    2011-09-02T00:00:00Z

    Triple glazing is no longer the preserve of environmental zealots, it has become a practical and accessible way to reduce energy loss in buildings and hit environmental targets. Building guides you through the market and latest developments

  • Icon
    Features

    The iCon centre: the beginning of something beautiful

    2011-08-26T00:00:00Z

    These days, ’green building’ is often synonymous with ’ugly architecture’. One project trying to prove otherwise is the iCon Innovation Centre in Northamptonshire. With a carbon footprint of only 12.2kg/m2 and a bold architectural identity, is this a sign of a new era for eco?

  • Montgomery Passivhaus School
    Features

    Top of the class: Passivhaus school design

    2011-08-12T00:00:00Z

    A primary school in Exeter won’t win any architectural awards, but is earning gold stars in zero-carbon and Passivhaus design. Thomas Lane swots up on how to deliver a low-energy building on a budget

  • Housing Expert
    Features

    Brettstapel envelope: The natural choice

    2011-08-12T00:00:00Z

    Getting planning permission to build a house in the stunning Scottish Borders requires a sensitive design, which is why architect Gaia specified a wooden Brettstapel envelope for this project

  • Projects
    Features

    Post occupancy: Is your green makeover really so green?

    2011-08-05T00:00:00Z

    Do low energy buildings really deliver results? Last month, Thomas Lane found two new-build offices that failed to live up to all their green credentials. Here, he reveals if two refurbished offices performed any better

  • marksandspencer
    Features

    Sustainability: From start to finish

    2011-07-22T00:00:00Z

    Sustainability means more than how a finished building performs - how the materials start and end their lives is increasingly important. Building looks at the challenges faced when trying to go green and how three sectors are adapting

  • Brazil
    Features

    Sustainability in Brazil: For the trees

    2011-07-15T00:00:00Z

    Brazil is famous for sustainability: a lack of it. But a new wave of green legislation and client requirements is creating demand for skills local contractors don’t have - and UK specialists are first in line for the work. Luke McLeod-Roberts reports in the second of our special features on ...