Entries for August 2008

“Though Northstowe’s houses are likely to be cheaply built, they are unlikely to be cheap to buy. It is equally unlikely that they will be carbon neutral, though they may very well make a virtuous display of solar panels,” Germaine Greer, The Guardian, 11 Aug.

Figures released from a Market & Business Development survey on the UK thermal insulation market are rare in that they demonstrate the direct effect of government policies.

Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Community Safety Project wants a private sector partner to provide serviced accommodation services to the authority and to design, finance, build and maintain four community fire stations...

Surrey Research Park wants architectural services for a new two storey research and production building, approximately 3,500 m2 in area.

The London Borough of Brent (LBB) requires a Design Team to undertake the design of the civic centre in Wembley.

Lincolnshire County Council wants a Sustainable Development Study for the Lincolnshire Coastal Communities.

The worst recession in the UK construction market since World War 2 has prompted severe cut-backs and concerns over the impact on viability of sustainable building, leading to doubts over whether targets for zero emissions are still attainable. Yet parts of the market are holding up well and long-term prospects remain good overall, as long as we get the policies right now. Dr Paul K Hatchwell investigates a complex picture.

The refurbishment of non-domestic buildings is increasingly subject to the energy performance requirements of Part L of the Building Regulations. Despite this, it is all too easy to end up with a building that emits more carbon rather than less, as Simon Napper explains.

Ben Kochan examines the efforts of cement and concrete industries to improve their enviromental performance