Eco doctor: green building

1. Better materials

Significant improvements in insulation products and modern cladding materials over the past few years offer the potential to deliver a much higher performance from buildings, in terms of heat transfer and u-values, than was previously thought achievable. What’s more, the potential for improving eco-ratings through increased air tightness has been proven, also highlighting the importance of choices for doors and windows.

2. More know-how

An improved understanding of how the building structure and its design and systems interact has led to greater exploitation of natural resources, delivered through close collaboration between individual disciplines within the project team. The incorporation of more energy-efficient lighting products and systems can also contribute to making houses greener.

3. Lower prices

In addition to the need to cut carbon dioxide emissions, level 4 of the code for sustainable homes specifically calls for two forms of renewable energy to be included, aside from local authority planning requirements in the use of renewable energy technologies. These pressures and the resulting increased adoption of the new technologies is likely to drive prices down naturally to more acceptable levels, as critical mass is reached.

Further refinements in the development of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, which can now be integrated with renewables such as solar energy, ultimately offer cheaper, more compact solutions for both domestic and hot water heating.

These systems can easily be integrated within the building design, while generating savings well in excess of the electricity used to drive them. The future is likely to see further innovations offering mass market solutions which have not - as yet - even been thought of.

4. Better partnership

As in other public sector service fields, local authorities and housing associations are also beginning to realise that by collaborating they can benefit from economies of scale, by combining their requirements together at a district level. Collaboration between contractors and architects has also led to the development of offsite construction methods which can help in rolling out building programmes more quickly and cost-effectively.

5. Simple measures

Amid accusations that a hitherto policy-driven approach has led to ‘box-ticking’ and tokenistic, bolt-on use of renewables, there is a growing realisation that it is time to take stock and look at the wider picture, with a return to a more integrated building approach. Ultimately, as the Town & Country Planning Association has said, the broader focus should be on delivering energy more sustainably at community level, rather than honing in on specific products or technologies.

The impact of engaging with residents to encourage greener living practices is also not to be underestimated. At Leadbitter, we give each resident a ‘green guide’, which offers information on how to gain maximum benefit from the technologies in their homes, live more sustainably and enjoy their local area and facilities. Even simple measures like these can make a difference in the long-term.

David Pinckney is development manager at social housing contractor Leadbitter Group

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