Building
In developing approaches to mitigate climate change, there is much government policy with a focus on new build. And there is increasing demonstrable good public sector practice - schools, public buildings, homes and offices – all designed and built on low energy, resource efficient and sustainability principles. Through leadership, planning policies and influence, local authorities are playing key roles in securing these outcomes.
But we urgently need to adapt the technological advances designed for new build for use in the sustainable refurbishment of the existing building stock – especially in the current economic climate. This is an imperative given that 85 per cent of existing buildings will still be in use by 2050. Nearly 50 per cent of the UK’s CO2 emissions come from existing stock - 27 per cent coming from domestic buildings.
Local authorities can ensure the delivery of zero carbon new build – or sustainable refurbishment of existing stock - through their planning, commissioning and procurement strategies; many are providing sound examples and influencing others through the sustainable refurbishment of their own estate.
The IDeA and Energy Saving Trust provide support to local authorities in developing strategies to reduce energy use and CO2 emissions. The Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships provide support on procurement and construction, and the professional institutes are helping to develop the new skills required to deliver these challenging targets - the RIBA has produced an on-line Climate Change Toolkit.
Building excellence in the arts is CABE's new online resource for anyone procuring arts buildings. Arguing that sustainability should be integral to the vision for any capital project, the guidance includes two checklists of technical and design-related sustainability issues to consider.
Several tools exist for improving the sustainability of new buildings:
- Code for Sustainable Homes
- BREEAM
- Building for Life
- UKCIP Climate Change Adaptation Wizard
- RIBA Climate Change Toolkit
The National House-Building Council has published a series of practical guides that address key issues around building more sustainable homes.
The following options help improve the sustainability of an individual building or structure
Energy
- Ground and air generated heat
- Avoiding overheating
- Post-occupancy evaluation
- Choosing low-energy lifestyles
- Reducing energy use in new buildings
- Future-proofing energy demands
- Building in solar technologies
- Improving the energy performance of existing homes
Waste
- Coping with waste in high-density environments
- Designing in new waste infrastructure
- Considering waste in new developments
- Building waste to energy plants in urban areas
- Planning a project waste strategy
- Managing waste on site
